Just Like Me
by shikarox
Summary: Naley is finally happy again. Dan has always been a problem. But when hailey threatens Dan's job as mayor, Dan will do anything to silence her...and Nathan will stop at nothing to protect her. Dan's patience is slipping, and all of Tree Hill is in danger.
1. 1: The Game

My first One Tree Hill story, hope you like it!! Be nice!

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Nathan reared his car into the school's parking lot, barely making it into the empty parking space without hitting another car. He cut the engine suddenly and glared at the steering wheel.

"Trying to kill someone?" Nathan smiled at the sound of her voice and looked up at his wife.

"I was in a hurry." Was his excuse.

Haley rolled her eyes, "Nathan, I know you well enough to see something's wrong."

"It's my dad."

"Of course." She rolled her eyes at the thought of his father, always up to something.

Nathan got out of his car and slammed the door shut angrily. "As the mayor, he's trying to make a new law."

"What kind of new law?"

"He's trying to create a law that makes it illegal for me to live alone."

Haley hugged his large form sympathetically, "I'm sorry Nathan. "

"It's alright." He gave her a peck on the cheek, "Even if he creates the law, I still don't have to live with _him_."

He put his arm around her and she looked up at him, "Anyway, how's living with Brooke."

"Very Awkward. Especially when I get kicked out of the bedroom because Lucas is over."

Haley made a face as she saw Lucas coming towards them with Brooke on his arm.

"Hey, Love birds." Brooke greeted happily, watching their every move closely. "What are you two doing after we win the game tonight?"

"Brooke." Haley warned her, her creamy cheeks turning red.

Lucas changed the subject, "I heard this team is really good."

"We played them before," Nathan stated, "As long as you cover their captain. He's got an amazing shot, but only with his right hand."

"Cover him." Lucas mumbled sarcastically, "Great advice."

Nathan punched his half brother in the shoulder, "That's the last time I give _you_ advice."

Lucas laughed as Nathan and Haley walked towards the school, leaving Lucas and Brooke behind.

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Nathan looked up at the scoreboard and he frowned. They were losing, barely, but losing. He ran to Lucas's side, ready to start the next play.

"The raven's are down by three with 20 seconds left on the clock." He heard Mouth explain into his microphone.

"This is so exciting." Geegee added.

Nathan listened carefully to everything around him and tried to think of a game-plan as they began the next play.

Lucas grabbed the ball and threw it back to Tim. Tim dribbled down the court quickly as Nathan sprinted towards the net. As Tim passed the ball to Nathan, time began to slow. He could hear everything around him so clearly. The crowd, Mouth's noisy broadcast, the cheerleaders. As he looked over at the crowd he caught a glimpse of Haley, so excited and happy.

And as he saw her face, he felt a surge of energy and he jumped up, grabbed the ball and shot. He watched the ball as it flew in the air. The crowd exploded in cheers as the ball went into the net.

"Yay, Nathan!!" A smile appeared on his face as he heard his cheering wife.

He heard Mouth again, "That's three points for the ravens, bringing it to a tie game with only 8 seconds left. Can the Ravens get just one more basket to win the game?"

As the play began again the other team began to pass the ball. Nathan watched Lucas, Tim, and al of the other basket ball players as they covered their players.

One of their players passed the ball, which was received by their captain. Nathan took his own advice into consideration and ran to cover him. He blocked his right side carefully, trying to get another burst of energy as he thought of Haley.

The captain tried to switch the ball to his left hand and that's when Nathan decided to go for the ball. He thought of Haley, her creamy skin, and risked a quick glance her way. But it wasn't Haley who attracted his attention.

As he saw the familiar face he felt the energy from Haley disappear. It was Dan. As Nathan saw that dark, hard face, he couldn't help but remember what his mom had told him.

She had tried to kill Dan to free them, to free _him_. But she had failed to kill him, and Nathan would never be free. It was her own words, that Dan would never give Nathan up. He was trapped, a slave forever to Dan.

Suddenly, he felt darkness in him now. He wasn't sure if it was fear or anger, but the feeling wasn't good. And as his mood changed in that second, he fumbled, and missed the ball. A gasp filled the stadium as the other team's captain shot the ball. It was his left hand, and the ball passed by the net as the buzzer went.

"And that's the game! Ravens tie 24-24!" Mouth yelled over the crazy crowd.

"You alright?" Nathan felt Lucas's hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged it off, he didn't need Lucas' sympathy, "I'm fine."

And with that they went towards the locker room.

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"Hey, Nathan." He turned to Haley and forced a small smile. He was still taken aback by his reaction to Dan's face. He didn't want to fear Dan, he didn't want to be a prisoner to his own father. What his mom had said had permanently imprinted itself in Nathan's mind, he couldn't get rid of it.

"Are you okay?" Haley asked as she put a hand on Nathan's forehead, "You look sort of sick."

He brought her hand back to her side, but kept them entwined. Haley smiled at their two hands together. "So are we celebrating tonight?"

"Celebrating? Haley, we didn't win."

She punched him playfully, "Doesn't mean we cant celebrate, you played a great game."

Nathan finally smiled truthfully, "Well, if that's what you want, then we'll celebrate all night long."

She giggled at his comment as he kissed her gently on the lips. She looked up into his eyes and, for a second, he forgot about Dan. Until he saw a figure coming towards them.

Haley grunted as his gaze went elsewhere. Nathan saw him coming towards them, his face was dark and angry. Nathan felt his heartbeat began to accelerate as he thought of his uncle.

Keith. Dan was stalking Keith, trying to make his life hell. And why? Because Dan couldn't control Keith, and so had to get rid of him.

Dan couldn't control Nathan _either_. And for that he would try and get rid of Nathan. But Nathan wasn't as strong as Keith, and he feared that it would hurt himself _and_ Haley.

And when he saw that angry face, he knew something bad was coming. So, he tightened his grip on Haley's hand and pulled her quickly out of the gym and to the parking lot.

"What's the rush?" she asked, sounding concerned.

He smiled as he opened the car door for her, "I just don't want to deal with Whitey right now."

Haley could tell he was lying, but the look on Nathan's face worried her, so she didn't press on.

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Nathan woke to Haley's cell phone and sighed. He turned to look at her and smiled, she looked so sleepy. They hadn't done anything last night but cuddle. Haley could tell Nathan was upset and she didn't think that that would be a good time for what they had planned.

He put his arm around her and kissed her, smiling. She was relieved when she saw he was smiling. He was looking better too.

Nathan groaned as Haley's phone kept ringing, "Do you ever turn that thing off?"

"When your living with Brooke, you always need a phone on you."

She picked it up and answered it. "Hey Brooke."

He heard yelling on the other end.

"Now? I'm with Nathan."

More yelling.

"Fine, I'm coming."

She stood up and he smiled, "Where do you think _you're_ going?"

As Nathan stood up, she went to him and kissed him. "Brooke needs my help with something, I hope you don't mind."

He smiled, "Don't worry about me, I'm supposed to go play basketball with Tim and Luke at the river court."

"Is playing basketball all you do?"

He laughed and kissed her again, "I'll see you later."

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Nathan clicked the buttons on his play station controller. He was very bored without Haley and he was playing videogames to pass the time. Tim and Lucas would be over soon, he knew it, but they seemed to be taking forever.

Nathan smiled when he heard the front door open, finally, they took so long. As the footsteps reached his doorway he laughed.

"What's so funny, Nathan?"

Nathan's stomach came up on his throat as he stood and turned to the angry face of the man his mother tried to destroy. He backed up a few steps as he saw the anger in his eyes again.

"Dan."

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Done chapter one!!!! Yay!! Please Review! I LOVE reviews!


	2. 2: Family Fight

Second Chapter!!!

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"What's wrong Nate? Not happy to see me?"

Nathan looked into his cold eyes and anger began to run through him. "How'd you get in here?"

"Oh Nathan," He scolded, "Didn't your father ever tell you to always lock the front door?"

"No, the only thing he ever taught me is to never trust him."

Dan clicked his tongue, "You should be nicer to me, Nathan. You're under _my_ roof."

"It's not _your_ house, Dan. Remember?" Nathan stated.

Dan let out a laugh, "Don't worry, Nathan. With your mom gone, it won't take long for me to reclaim my house…and you."

"I don't belong to you, and I never will." Nathan spat angrily.

"You can't change fate, Nathan. I'm your father, I'm supposed to help you."

"Help me? When have you ever helped me?"

Dan took a step closer to him tauntingly, "For starters, I'll help you by telling you that that game you played was horrible. How are you ever going to impress any scouts by tripping all the time?"

Nathan came up with an excuse quickly, "I slipped, that's all."

"Scouts don't care if you slip. You mess up, you mess up. That's it. And I saw you with Haley after the game. Don't let her get in the way with your basket ball. Don't make the mistakes I did."

"Trust me, you don't have to worry about that."

Dan laughed again and took another step towards his son, "You're more like me then you think."

Nathan felt the anger boiling up. "_I'll never be like you!!_" He growled and launched himself at his father.

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"And that's why I think you're the luckiest guy in the world." Tim finally finished his rant.

"Because I'm dating Brooke?" Lucas asked as he walked up the steps to Nathan's front door.

Tim opened up the door, it was never locked, "Dude, she's hot!"

Lucas shook his head as he walked into the house Nathan was living in by himself. He could hear Nathan's play station from his room and smiled. Nathan was really bored.

"Did you hear that?" Tim asked as he looked over at Lucas.

Lucas listened and he could hear it, yelling. "Ya, I hear it."

Tim pulled out his cellphone and started recording a video.

"What are you doing?" Lucas whispered hoarsely to him.

"I want to get a good shot if it's an alien. It could be worth millions."

Lucas rolled his eyes, Tim was so weird. Lucas ignored Tim and led him to Nathan's room.

Tim pushed passed Lucas to get a good shot of Nathan attacking Dan. Lucas watched in horror at the anger on his brother's face. He had a crazy look in his eye as he tackled his father.

As Nathan went to tackle Dan, things didn't turn out as planned. Dan caught Nathan easily and held Nathan back. When Nathan fought against his father's grasp, Dan gave one punch to his son's face.

"Nathan!" Lucas yelled, but Dan had already pinned Nathan against the wall with his hand around his neck.

"Stop! Dan!" Lucas yelled as he tried to pry Dan's hand's off Nathan's neck. At the same time, Nathan was kicking at his father to try and get free.

Lucas managed to pry one hand away as Nathan got lighter, running out of air. "You're going to kill him!"

Dan finally let go and glared at Nathan, his face dark and edged, "Don't mess up again."

And with that warning, Dan was gone and out the door.

"Nathan." Lucas bent down by his coughing brother, "Are you okay?"

Nathan's voice was hoarse as he yelled, "Get out!"

"What?"

"Get out!" He yelled again, "Get out of my house!!"

Lucas did as he was told and dragged Tim out of Nathan's room and out of the house.

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"Hey, Lucas!" Haley called her friend in the computer lab on Monday. "Did you hear abut the Tim thing?"

Lucas became nervous, "What thing?"

"He has a video on one of these websites. Apparently it's really popular." She stated.

"I thought you didn't like that kind of stuff."

Haley smiled, "I know, but you can't blame me for being curious."

He went to her side as she entered the sight and looked for the video. The one she clicked on was called "Family Fight."

Haley played the video and it loaded as it played, high-speed. Lucas' face went hot as he saw that crazed look in his brother's face again.

"Nathan…" Haley whispered as she watched him tackle his father. Then she gasped when Dan punched Nathan. And when Nathan was being choked, Haley started shaking.

When the video ended with Dan's threat, she turned off the computer and got up.

"Haley, wait." Lucas called after her.

She turned around angrily, "What, Lucas? Are you going to tell me what the hell you were thinking when you decided not to tell me. No wonder he wasn't returning my calls."

"Haley, I'm sorry. I thought he was going to tell you."

He went to her side and hugged her, "Is he alright at least?"

He sighed, "I don't know, I haven't seen him since then."

"Well, we have to find him."

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Haley could barely recognize him as she searched the halls of Tree Hill High. She had found him outside walking by himself. Haley had barely recognized when she saw him, it was the way he walked that was familiar. She would know that walk from anywhere.

He was so different today because he was wearing a grey sweater, with the hood pulled up. As soon as she saw him Haley ran to him.

"Nathan." She said in a concerned tone, but he just pulled his hood down more.

"Nathan, we need to talk." She tried again, but he kept his face down so she couldn't see it.

"What's wrong, Haley?" He asked, his voice was hoarse and rough.

"Oh Nathan, your voice." She whispered.

"I have a cold." He lied to her.

Haley pulled the hood down suddenly, too sudden for Nathan to conceal his face again. She gasped as she saw the black eye.

"Nathan," She whispered as she touched his face as lightly as she could.

He pulled away, "I ran into a door." He lied again.

"Nathan," she began again, "I saw the video."

"I don't know what you're talking about." He mumbled, lying for one last time.

She glared, "Nathan, stop lying."

He didn't say anything, so she added, "Show me your neck."

"Haley…"

"Show me your neck." She repeated, with more fierce.

Nathan sighed as he pulled down the neck of his sweater to reveal bruises of hands. It was obvious he was choked by someone with very large hands. In other words, Dan Scott.

"Oh. My. God." Was all she could say before he hugged her. She hugged him back.

"Nathan, are you okay?"

He shook his head, which was on her shoulder.

"Nathan, please talk to me."

Nathan looked down at her and she saw the sadness in his eyes, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

"It's okay, Nathan. It's going to be alright."

He shook his head again, "No, Haley, it's not going to be okay. Dan always finds a way to get to me."

She thought for a moment, "Nathan, why don't you stay with Brooke and I."

"What?" Nathan asked, not understanding. "Live with two girls?"

"Just until you can get the locks changed on your house."

He looked down, "I'm not sure Hailey…"

"Nathan, please. This way, I'll be able to keep an eye on you and we can spend time together."

He nodded in agreement, finally smiling, "If that's what you want."

She smiled, feeling a _little_ better. "It is."

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"Okay, this is weird." Brooke mumbled, motioning towards the half-naked boy on her couch.

"Brooke, I know this is sudden," Haley explained, "but it's just until Nathan has his locks changed."

Brooke shook her head, "Tutor-girl, I'm not stupid. I know the real reason why you want him to stay here."

"And what's that?"

Brooke sighed, "You're buying time to figure out how to deal with Dan."

Haley didn't say anything, she couldn't deny it because it was 100% true. Brooke rolled her eyes and walked away, obviously bored with the conversation. Haley ignored Brooke's reaction and went to Nathan, looking very uncomfortable on their couch.

"Are you okay with this?" She asked I'm.

He chuckled, "I think I can manage sleeping on your couch. It's not like I'm intimidated by women or anything."

Haley giggled and kissed him lightly. Then she walked towards her room to go to bed. She was surprised to feel a hand grab her wrist.

When she turned, Nathan's face was pleading, "Stay with me tonight."

Haley was going to say no, but that look in his eyes made her say yes. He was just so sad, so torn. Ever since his mom had left town, he'd been acting very distant and upset.

"Okay," She crawled into the blankets with him, "But you have to tell me what's going on with you."

"Haley, I wouldn't know where to start." He looked at the ground, obviously dreading this conversation.

Haley's answer shocked him.

"Start with why your mom is gone."

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Chapter 2 done!! PLEASE REVIEW!! I LOVE reviews so much!


	3. 3: Her Dream

Third chapter!!!!!! Still no reviews! Come on guys!!

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_He was trapped, she could tell. The water was seeping in through the cracks and he was panicking._

"_Haley!!" He yelled as loud as he could and began punching at the metal walls._

_He was sinking, the air in his container was seeping out into the bed of water._

"_Haley!!! HELP ME!!!" She recognized the voice and his rough, handsome face appeared. It was lit up by a faint light, from the cell phone he held._

_When she realized who it was she screamed, "Nathan!!!"_

_He lifted his head above the water and struggled to keep his cellphone dry. _

"_Please." He begged._

"_Nathan!" she called again._

_He choked on his next words, and she saw the tears go down his face. She had never wanted to see Nathan, the one she loved, cry._

"_Help me."_

_Then the water engulfed his face, going into his mouth and nose. He ran out of air quickly and she watched as Nathan's eyes rolled in the back of his head._

_He sank and she screamed._

"_NATHAN!!"_

"Haley?"

"Nathan!" She screamed again.

"Haley, wake up."

"What?" She opened her eyes suddenly and came face to face with Nathan.

She grabbed his face and pulled him close. He was surprised when she kissed him passionately. When they parted he stared at her face.

"Are you alright?" Nathan asked, concerned.

She held back the tears, "You're okay."

Nathan smiled and rubbed her cheek, "It was just a nightmare, Haley. I'm alright."

She smiled back, "Your right. It just seemed so real, it scared me."

"What happened in it?"

"You were attacked by a bulldog." She lied, not wanting to tell the truth about her nightmare. She was too scared right now to talk about it, she had seen him cry and then drown. It had been horrible and Haley just couldn't shake the feeling that it was real.

Nathan chuckled, "Okay, Haley. I'll stay away from dogs if that will make you feel better."

"Okay," She kissed him again, but something told her that it wasn't going to be okay. Her nightmare was going to happen, she knew it.

She just didn't know when.

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Nathan glared at the scoreboard, down by three. As he dribbled the ball to the net, he felt incredibly hot. He was sweating more than usual, since there was a lot of pressure on him. There were lots of scouts in the stands tonight, and he was determined to not repeat the mistake from the last game. He wasn't going to mess up.

Not tonight.

When he saw the opening, he didn't even think. Nathan threw the ball into the open space, receiving a gasp from the audience. Lucas ran in to retrieve the ball and quickly dunked it.

Nathan smiled, he had planned that. He knew his brother so well that he knew Lucas would run in to get it.

That was two points. Two to go, and there was only 10 seconds left.

"Feeling the pressure, little bro?" Lucas asked him.

Before Nathan could answer, one of the other players spoke, "He should be worried."

"Really? I don't see why. Your team sucks."

The other player, labeled "Chow", spoke again. "If we suck then why are we kicking your ass?"

Nathan laughed, "You're not kicking our ass. But if you want to, then bring it bitch."

They started the play. The other team's players were passing the ball, obviously wasting time. Lucas charged in and got a hold of the ball, passing it to one of their other players. Nathan ran up the court to the net. The ball was thrown and Nathan jump up to dunk it.

That's when he made the mistake, he risked a glance to the stands. There he was, Dan Scott. Nathan's father. His eyes were like daggers, they cut at Nathan as he just stared. Looking at Dan wasn't the mistake, it was not looking at the game. Dan was forgotten when Nathan, still in the air, was hit. He hadn't realized time had slowed down, but the impact was so fast he had no time to react. It was Chow, he had hit Nathan with the full weight of his body. Being hit in mid-air was painful, Nathan learned that quickly. He was thrown to the side, hitting the ground with a loud bang.

"Who's the bitch now?" Chow said with a smile as the buzzer rang in the background. Nathan cursed, but then he heard the whistle blow.

"Penalty shot." The ref exclaimed. "Two shots."

Nathan gave a smirk to Chow, "Nice try."

Then they set up for the penalty shots. Nathan felt his face going hot again, more pressure. He looked at the scouts, the school….Haley.

Nathan smiled and saw the proud look on her face, plus the worry from his fall. He threw the ball at the net, his eyes not leaving Haley's face. He didn't know the ball went in until the crowd cheered his name. he looked back at the net and laughed, he had gotten that in?

He took the ball for the final shot, he needed this one. Nathan looked at Haley again, just seeing her face made him go warm. She would love him, no matter what the score at the end of the day was.

"You got it, Nathan."

Nathan's body went numb, although he usually liked the support from the spectators, his father was not someone he wanted to hear. He slouched slightly and tried to move his hands, but there was something wrong with him.

"_Don't mess up again."_

The words from his father stayed in his head. The anger welled up in him when he remembered the punch to the face. The way his father had attacked him and the way that his father's wedding ring had scraped his face. His mom, Deb. What she had said.

"_He will never let you go."_

"No!" Nathan yelled, he couldn't contain his anger anymore. He gritted his teeth together as he looked at the net. Nathan envisioned Dan's face on the backboard and he threw the ball as hard as he could at it. The backboard creaked as the ball slammed into it. The ball bounced off the backboard violently, but Nathan had already sprinted up. As if he was attacking the net, Nathan grabbed the ball and slammed it in the net for a dunk.

Cheers exploded in the gym.

"The Ravens have won the game!!" Mouth yelled, jumping up and down.

Nathan looked at his father quickly with a smirk and then headed to the showers.

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Nathan was looking for Haley, she would be so happy about winning the game. She would be proud of him, but he saw his father first. Dan was walking towards him, his eyes intense. Before Nathan had a chance to run away, a scout came up to him.

"You must be Nathan Scott." She stated.

Nathan looked up to see if his father was there, but Dan was gone.

"Yes," Nathan greeted, "I'm Nathan Scott."

"Well you played a wonderful game." She complimented.

"Thanks," He looked at her clipboard and Nathan's eyes became saucers, "Duke?"

"You know Duke?"

Nathan nodded mechanically, Duke was the school of his dreams, with the perfect basketball team.

"I wanted to go there after high school."

She smiled at him, "Keep playing like this and you will be. I have a feeling you'll go far, Nathan."

"Thanks."

Her smile disappeared when she got a good look of his face, "May I ask you something?"

He nodded and she asked, "What happened to your eye?"

Nathan put a hand on his bruised eye and smiled at her, "I got hit by a ball."

As Lucas walked by, he laughed at Nathan's excuse, "Strong ball."

"Yes, well, we'll be in touch." The scout explained, obviously feeling uncomfortable.

When she walked away Nathan turned to Lucas, "What's your problem?"

"Nathan," He sounded serious, "I'm worried about you. Dan's been getting rowdy lately."

Nathan sighed, "Lucas, I'm fine. I'm staying at Haley and Brooke's, remember?"

"I know, but something's up, Dan's planning something."

Nathan laughed mockingly, "Ya, like I'm afraid of Dan."

Lucas put his hand on his brother's shoulder, "Haley's worried too."

"I'm fine!" Nathan growled and shoved Lucas away, "Stop treating me like a little kid! I can take care of myself!"

Lucas was taken aback by his brother's sudden anger.

"He hurt you Nathan."

"It's not the first time, Luke. I've dealt with him my whole life, I think I'll be fine."

"Nate, stop this. Let us help you."

Nathan glared at Lucas, "I don't _need _help! What is your problem?"

"I'm worried, Nate. I'm afraid he might kill you."

"He won't."

Lucas grabbed Nathan's shoulder, "He almost did, remember?"

Nathan pulled away again and began to walk away. Lucas stared at his little brother walking away and frowned. And as Nathan walked away, Lucas thought he heard Nathan say something.

"How could I forget?"

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When Haley saw him the anger escalated. She hurried to him and walked in front of him.

"Hello, Dan." She greeted angrily. Dan looked over her head to where Nathan was and glared at Haley.

"Move."

She refused to move and grabbed his arm, pulling him away so he couldn't see Nathan anymore.

"Listen," Haley got down to the point, "You leave my husband alone."

Dan laughed, "Or what?"

She smiled, she knew he would ask that. He had challenged her, and now Haley was going to fight dirty. She pulled out her cellphone and played the video. As Dan watched, his face went hard.

"Where did you get this?" he asked harshly.

"The good thing about Tim is he loves to record things." Haley explained.

Dan glared at her, "What do you plan to do with this?"

"I'm going to show this to everyone. And you know how these people are, they'll never accept you as their mayor."

"You're blackmailing me?"

"You really don't understand," Haley explained, "If I show this there will be another election and guess who would win?"

Dan's face went red with anger as he remembered his only opposer, "Karen."

"Your power over this town would be over."

He laughed, "But isn't that good."

"Yes, but you would still have power over one person."

Dan shook his head, "Selfish. You'd rather free Nathan than the whole town?"

"Nathan is more important to me than anyone."

"Well, I guess you got me." He admitted, but he had a smirk on his face.

"So, you'll leave Nathan alone?"

Dan let out a laugh as he walked away.

"We'll see."

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Chapter three! Thanks to the few people who reviewed!! Thanks and please review!


	4. 4: Shooting

Fourth Chapter!! WOW!! I'm on a roll!!!

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Haley had congratulated Nathan at home that night, but had mentioned nothing Lucas had said. It had been days since the game and Nathan hadn't seen Dan either. Which, by the way, was both good and bad at the same time.

Nathan was now looking for Haley. It was close to lunch and Nathan wanted Haley to go eat with him. She seemed so distant, but Nathan knew why. It was those four words that she wanted to say, but just couldn't.

'I'm worried about you.'

Worried, that's all anyone ever was. Nathan didn't want them to worry, he could deal with this. Or so he said. Truthfully, Nathan couldn't handle Dan. He was worried about himself and he needed their help. But he knew better then to ask for help. He wouldn't let the ones he cared about get involved with Dan, especially not Haley. He was willing to act like a jerk to protect her, anything for Haley.

So, for now, Nathan would act as normal as possible. For days he had acted like nothing was wrong, and he would keep on doing it. He searched the hallways for Haley, but laughed at himself. Haley would be in the Tutor centre, he was sure of it. Brooke didn't call her Tutor-girl for nothing.

Nathan headed towards the Tutor centre quickly, hoping the bell wouldn't ring and students come rushing out of their classes at once. That would be chaotic. He reached the centre before the bell and walked in. Haley had finished her tutoring early and was sitting alone doing her homework.

His wife was such a nerd.

"Hey, Tutor-girl."

Haley smiled when she saw him, "Nathan!"

Just then the bell rang, and everyone in the tutor centre fled out into the hallway. Nathan waited until they were alone before he spoke again.

"Listen Haley," He began.

Haley frowned at his tone, "Nathan…"

"What?"

"I just…"

His face went hard, "What?"

"Nathan, I.."

His anger was rising, "What is it Haley?"

"I'm worried about you."

There were those words he didn't want to hear. They made him angry.

"I'm fine." He stated.

Haley's face became concerned, "I think you need help."

Nathan's anger had risen to an all time high. He slammed his fist against the table and cursed.

"If it wasn't for me, _you'd_ be needing help!" He growled.

Haley was scared by his outburst, obviously. "What do you mean?"

"Stop trying to help me." He said quietly, "He'll go after you."

When Haley heard this her eyes went as wide as he had ever seen them.

He stared at her, all anger gone, "Are you alright?"

"I tried to help you." She stated.

His eyes widened, "What?"

"At the game, I showed him the video. I warned him that if he didn't stay away from you that I'd show it to the whole town."

Nathan was shocked, "You threatened Dan _Scott's _job as _mayor_?"

Nathan couldn't believe this, she had risked herself to protect him. But now she was in danger.

"Haley-" But he was cut off by the piercing sound of a gunshot in the hallway.

Haley screamed at the sound, and Nathan grabbed her and pulled her close.

"What was that?" Haley asked him, even though she knew.

He didn't answer, just wishing he hadn't heard that. It was a gun, for sure. There was a gun. What would he do?

"Nathan, what do we do?" She was staying close to him, scared.

Nathan Scott was never someone to just stand around and do nothing. He thought of all the people stuck in their classrooms, maybe not knowing about the danger. He ran to the wall, searching for something. When he spotted it, he pulled it. The fire alarm went off as the sprinklers began to spray water all over them.

"Nathan, can we go?"

He grabbed her hand and led her to the door, peering out into the hallway. There were books and bags left on the floor. Lockers were still open and the glass on the doors were cracked from the struggle of kids fleeing. But he saw no one.

He slowly advanced into the hallway, Haley holding his hand for dear life.

"Nate…"

Haley gasped when she heard the voice and Nathan went stiff. He turned quickly with wide eyes. The voice had been hoarse and pained. His eyes found the source of the voice, a body lay on the floor.

"Tim!" Nathan ran to his side, but held on to Haley.

"Nate, my side." He said, he was holding his hip, but the blood was still coming out.

Haley removed Tim's hand and peered at the wound. She quickly looked away.

"Who did this?" Nathan asked him, but Tim was staring at his side.

"Tim!" Nathan attempted to get his attention and Tim looked. "We have to move you."

He grabbed Nathan's arm in panic, "No man, you can't move me!"

"You'll be okay. We can't leave you in here with the shooter." Haley told him.

"Okay." Tim nodded.

Haley and Nathan help him up. Haley tried to keep his mind off the pain by talking to him.

"Tim, what happened?"

"I was talking to Luke in the hallway about the next game and suddenly, this guy came out with a gun."

"What guy?" Nathan pushed.

Tim shook his head, "I don't know, man. I've never seen him before. He was old."

"What happened next?" Haley continued.

"Luke say him and I didn't. He got out of the way and tried to pull me away."

"Lucas is okay?" Haley asked and Tim nodded.

"The guy was aiming for Lucas and me. He was aiming for my chest, but Lucas got me partly out of the way."

"And?" Nathan pushed.

Tim made a face as they began pulling him up. "Luke threw a book at the guys face. He ran off and Luke told me he was going to get me a medic."

As Tim's legs extended, he howled in pain. They started to carry him towards the exit, but Tim was limping horribly and was obviously in a lot of pain.

Nathan heard the click of the gun first and tackled Haley and Tim to the ground.

Haley felt Nathan jump on top of her and Tim was pulled down too. She also heard the shot. Her heart was beating so fast as she panicked. She turned around to see Nathan. She gasped when she saw the blood running down his face.

"It's okay, Hales," he assured her, wiping the blood, "I just the floor."

She was relieved that the bullet hadn't hit him, but her heart sank when she heard the footsteps. Nathan got off of her and stood to face the shooter. He didn't recognize him, he had never seen him before. He recognized the blood on the man's face, good hit Lucas.

"Nathan…" Haley whispered, pressed up to his back. Tim was sitting on the ground behind Haley.

The man put the gun up to Nathan's head. "You're a stupid kid, you know I'll shoot you."

Haley felt tears in her eyes when she saw the gun on Nathan's forehead. He could feel the cold metal on his forehead. He was scared, very scared. The gun was so close to blowing his head in, but he stood in front of it. Why? Because he was the only thing between the gun and Haley. If he bought some time, then someone would come and help them.

This guy could kill Nathan at any moment, but Nathan would do anything to protect Haley. He stared the gun down, trying not too look scared. He began to shake, but he had a plan. All he had to do was buy some time.

"But I'm not one of your targets." Nathan stated.

The gunman frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I know you were paid to kill these kids."

He laughed, "So what if I was?"

"I'm not on the list. And I'm sure the person who's paying you won't be happy if you kill me."

Haley hugged Nathan's back tightly, her tears wetting the back of his shirt. She could feel him shaking and she knew he was scared. She was scared. Not for her, but for him. Nathan couldn't die, he wouldn't.

Nathan felt her tears on his back and he knew she needed comfort. He put his hand back to her and she grabbed it.

"Why do you think he would care if you die?"

"My name is Nathan Scott." He stated.

The gunman's eyes went wide when he heard the name, "Scott?"

Nathan nodded and the gun dropped from his head.

"Now Nathan, move out of the way so I can shoot your friends."

As the man raised his gun to point it towards Haley, Nathan hit it. The gun flew out of his hands and skidded on the ground in the hallway. Nathan shoved the man and dived for the gun. He picked it up and aimed it at the man. But the man had moved and was now holding Haley in front of him.

"Shoot, boy." He said, but Nathan dropped the gun. Who couldn't do it, even if he didn't shoot, he couldn't point a gun anywhere near Haley.

Haley heard the man reach for his back, pulling something out of his belt. She heard the click of metal, but before she could react, she heard Tim.

"He's got a gun!" He yelled at Nathan. The man pulled the gun out and shot. Nathan jumped out of the way and shot at the man's leg. He hit it without being close to putting Haley in danger.

The man shot again at Nathan and the bullet hit. Haley screamed, fighting against the gunman to get to her husband.

"Nathan!" She yelled.

The man grabbed Haley and laughed, but was silenced by another gunshot. It hit him in the other leg and he screamed. His anger rose and he ran forward to hit Nathan. Haley pulled him away from Nathan, but he smacked her away. She fell back and hit her head off the wall.

The gunman grabbed the gun Nathan held and laughed, "You thought you could stop me, kid?"

The sound of a police siren was heard and the gunman cursed. He put both the guns in his belt and took off towards the back door of the school.

Haley's head was pounding and she was falling in and out of consciousness. She turned her head to Nathan and was surprised to see him walking towards her. He collapsed beside her and brushed his hand on her cheek.

She looked at the blood that was coming from his shoulder and the tears fell down her face. She fell unconscious with him watching her.

Nathan lifted himself off the ground and walked towards the door. He was going to find a medic for Haley and Tim, he had to. Even though he had been shot in the shoulder, the pain wasn't that bad. Not compared to the pain of his father paying someone to kill his friends. But as he walked, he realized something. He had to stop him.

Dan Scott had to be stopped.

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Chapter 4 done!!!


	5. 5: Hospital

Fifth Chapter already! This is the farthest I've ever written a story and haven't had writer's block!! Here we go!

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The hospital was a depressing place. In each and every room was someone hurt and in pain, not the best thing to think about. But there was a magical part to the hospital, after all the pain. The part when you wake up and see the people you love there with you.

And that's how Haley woke up, to Nathan's face.

"Nathan!" She screamed and threw herself on him, causing him to laugh. "You're awake!"

He brushed his hand against her cheek, "Of course I am, I was worried about you."

Haley looked over her body, looking for her injury. When she dipped her head it throbbed.

"You cut your head open." He stated, even though she had just realized that. "You got stitches."

She turned to him and laughed, "You get _shot_ and you're worried about your girlfriend who got _stitches_?"

"You are my wife, not my girlfriend." He stated, not answering the question.

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It wasn't as bad as it seemed."

Haley remembered back to shooting. The sound of the gun rang in her ears as she saw the pain on Nathan's face. And then there was the blood, he was bleeding so much.

Nathan put his hand on her cheek, sensing her worry, "It didn't hit me."

"What?" She didn't understand.

"It just skimmed my shoulder, it wasn't _in_ me."

"Skimmed?" She shook her head, "But there was so much blood."

He laughed, "It skimmed pretty deep."

Haley hugged him again and cried into his good shoulder. She could remember everything like a movie was playing over an over again. The gun pressed up against his head, the blood, when he went to get help even though he was in pain. The memory of when he collapsed beside her and rubbed her cheek comfortingly.

"I love you, Nathan." She whispered into his ear.

"I love you too." He whispered back.

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"It's Tim time, baby!"

As soon as they heard the voice, they all turned. Tim had had the worst of the injuries, since he had been shot in the side and lost a lot of blood. But no one could stop Tim. So here he was, looking as healthy as ever, walking in the hospital hallway with crutches.

"Tim!" Luke called, walking over to him, "You're okay."

"No one can stop the Tim-inator." Tim explained in his goofy voice.

Lucas smiled. He had been the most worried about Tim, being the one who had left him to find a medic.

Tim smiled widely, "Well, well. What do we have here? Brooke Davis, shedding some tears for her injured lover."

Brooke rolled her eyes at Tim, "I'm crying for all my friends who have been hurt."

"Who else is got hurt?"

Brooke screamed when she heard Nathan's voice. And, sure enough, he was hand in hand with Haley. They both ran towards each other and hugged. Nathan walked over to Lucas and asked his question again, "Who else got hurt?"

"Mouth and Peyton." He exclaimed unhappily, "Mouth got cut by a lot of glass and Peyton got shot in the leg."

"But Peyton's okay." Brooke stated, motioning to a very tired girl sitting on the bench beside Karen, Peyton's father, and Keith. She had been so quite that they hadn't noticed her at first. She had her leg bandaged up and her father was holding her crutches for her.

"Peyton." Haley ran up and hugged her, "I didn't even know, I'm sorry."

Peyton laughed, "It's okay. You were unconscious, how _could_ you know?"

"How did you get shot?" Nathan asked.

Peyton took a moment to answer, "I was trying to find Brooke, when I heard the shot. I ran into the first room I could find, the AV room. Mouth was in there. When we tried to get out, they guy with the gun was there and he tried to shoot Mouth."

Nathan turned to her, surprised, "He shot at Mouth?"

"He wasn't aiming for me." She said quietly, "I pushed him out of the way and I got shot in the leg. Mouth went through one of the glass doors and got all cut up."

There was a silence for awhile before anyone spoke.

"Someone died." Karen said sadly. "A kid named Jimmy Edwards."

At the name, Lucas's head fell in grief. He said, "He was an old friend of Mouth and I."

"He put a gun against the gunman and was too scared to use it. So he shot him." Keith explained.

"He already had a gun?" Haley asked, concerned.

Peyton's father answered, "He was planning a school shooting himself."

Nathan put his hand on Lucas's shoulder, who was still staring at the floor. "Luke, are you okay?"

Lucas nodded and looked up at his little brother, "I'm just worried about Mouth, That's all."

Nathan smiled at Lucas, "He'll be fine, Luke."

"I hope so."

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They had been sitting together in silence for awhile before they saw the door to the hospital room open. Lucas was out of his seat immediately, followed by Brooke and Haley, and then Nathan. Mouth was bandaged in multiple places, because he had gotten many stitches from the glass.

"Mouth!" Brooke cried as she and Haley both hugged him at the same time.

"How are you feeling?" Nathan asked him.

Mouth smiled, "I'm okay…." He then looked at Lucas, "..but I heard about Jimmy."

"He had a gun." Lucas stated. "We couldn't have done anything to help him."

Nathan, once again, put his hand on his brother's shoulder, "It's okay, Luke."

Lucas smiled at Nathan and patted his back, "I'm fine, Nate."

Nathan nodded and took his hand off of Lucas's back. Mouth pushed through them and walked straight to the bench, where Peyton was sitting. He looked at her bandaged leg and smiled sadly.

"Thank you," He said to her, "That bullet was meant for me."

Peyton smiled at him, "I'd rather have a bullet in my leg than have a bullet in your _chest_."

He hugged her after that, and she hugged back. When he pulled away she laughed.

"You think I got it bad?" She asked jokingly, "Now I can have my own servants to do things for me."

"Lucky." Tim mumbled.

"What are you drawing?" Mouth asked her and she showed him.

It was of seven teenagers, three girls and four boys. Mouth could recognize the facse of the people. It was him, Lucas, Nathan, Haley, Tim, Brooke and Peyton. They all looked scared, but were just standing together. It was a picture of those most effected by the shooting. Then there was another picture of a man with a gun.

"It's the guy who shot at us." Mouth stated, "It looks just like him. I guess you have a photographic memory. That's amaz-"

"Wait." He was cut off by Nathan, "Let me see that picture."

Peyton passed it to him and he frowned, "Are you _sure_ this was the guy who shot at you?"

"Ya."

He looked troubled, something was wrong.

"What is it, Nathan?" Haley asked him.

Nathan held the picture up for all of them to see.

"This isn't the same guy."

Haley looked at the picture and gasped, "He's right. The guy who attacked us was older."

"Actually," Lucas said, "That's not guy who shot at Tim and I."

"Ya." Tim agreed, "The guy who came when I was with Nathan and Haley was different from the guy who first shot at me. And he wasn't _that_ guy, either."

"What does that mean?" Brooke asked, her voice obviously showed she was worried.

"It means," Nathan explained, "That there was more then one shooter."

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Chapter 5 done!! I tried to make this fit the show as much as possible, so Peyton was shot in the leg and Jimmy Brooks died. Okay, so please review!


	6. 6: About Time

Sixth Chapter!! And I'm sorry all you Tim lovers for hurting Tim. I love him too!! He's so funny!!

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Nathan wasn't sure how, but he was going to stop Dan somehow. He needed help, even though he refused it. He found himself staying up all night, watching people from the corner of his eye, and staying away from anywhere his father could be. He needed time, that was all.

He was in his car now, speeding through the streets of Tree Hill. He swerved his car into the parking lot and spun into one of the parking spaces, almost hitting another car. He cut the engine angrily and stayed in the car. He was staring at the steering wheel again, thinking. That's all he ever did now, think.

"Hey Nate." He looked up to see Lucas.

A nod was his only response.

"You okay, man?" Lucas asked.

Nathan nodded, "I'm fine."

"You're really jumpy today. And your eyes have really dark circles under them. Have you even been sleeping?"

Nathan got out of his car and slammed the door shut. "I'm fine." He repeated.

"Nathan." Lucas's voice was desperate, and Nathan turned around to look at him.

"Stop saying you're fine, Nate. There's something wrong, I can tell." Lucas sounded concerned.

Nathan sighed, he _had_ to tell Lucas _something_. He was his brother and his friend, he deserved to know something.

"I'm not feeling well, okay?" It was partly true.

Lucas grabbed Nathan's shoulder, "Listen, I'm your brother, you can tell me."

Nathan took a deep breathe and partly confessed, "It's Dan stuff."

"Nathan, he's not going to hurt you again. I promise."

Nathan glared at his brother, "I don't need your _protection. _I'll be fine, I can handle Dan."

"This is _not_ showing you can handle Dan. Nathan, you're blocking everyone out. That's exactly what Dan wants."

Nathan tried to walk away, but Lucas grabbed his wrist.

Nathan turned around and shoved him away, cursing. "I know what I'm doing, Luke! I can take care of myself!"

Lucas was taken aback from his brother's anger, but he wasn't giving up. This had to end now, his brother was on the verge of a major breakdown.

"No you can't! You need help!" He grabbed Nathan again.

Nathan was running out of patience and needed to end this.

He pushed Lucas away again. "Let it go, Luke!"

Lucas shoved him back, "Stop acting like you don't need help!"

"I can do this on my own!"

Lucas glared, "I hope that nobody helps you! You know why? Because you are _just like Dan_!"

Nathan exploded in a yell of rage as he punched his brother in the jaw. Lucas punched back. Before long, a crowd was forming around them and they were attracting a lot of attention.

"Nathan! Lucas!" Nathan cursed when he heard the voice.

He was right, it was Haley and she had seen them fighting.

"Stay out of this, Haley!" Nathan warned her, he didn't want her getting hit by accident, especially if it was because of him.

Lucas glared, "Don't talk to Haley that way!"

Nathan punched Lucas again and Lucas shoved him away.

"Stop it!" Haley ran in between them and put a hand on each of their chests.

Haley tried to push them apart as best she could, but they were pushing against her.

Finally, she spoke to Lucas, "Let it go, Luke." And then to Nathan, "Nate, we need to talk."

Nathan let her pull him away by his arm. She pulled him out of sight from the other kids and turned to him.

"Nathan, what was that about?" She asked him.

He glared at the ground, not answering her question.

"It's a Dan thing again, isn't it?"

"Hales, I don't want you to get involved with Dan."

She grabbed his face in her hands, "As long as we're together, anything that involves you, involves me too."

Nathan looked at the ground again. "I love you for trying to support me, but I'm not getting you involved with this."

"Nathan, you're my husband. I'm always going to be there for you, no matter what."

He looked at her face, the bruise that was on her face. It was because of Nathan that she had been hurt, and now he couldn't let her get hurt again.

He sighed sadly, then said, "Maybe I shouldn't be your husband anymore."

Her eyes widened, "What?"

He reached into his shirt and broke the necklace off of his neck. It had his ring hanging on it, and he had trouble letting it go. He grabbed her hand, dropping the necklace into it and closing her palm again.

"Take it," He mumbled, "I don't need it anymore."

He walked away then. He knew Haley was crying, so he didn't turn around. He never, _ever_, wanted to make Haley cry, but it was the best for her. If he didn't end it now, Dan would get to her, he was sure of it.

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Nathan stared at the picture that Peyton had drawn. This had been one of the gunmen, the one who was supposed to kill Mouth. As he looked at the picture, he could see the emotions in the face. Peyton _was_ a good drawer.

That's when Nathan got the idea. It was risky, but it was an idea. He needed something first. He still didn't know what one of the gunman looked like. He had seen two of their faces, and he assumed there were three. Where would he get a picture of the last gunman? Nathan smiled widely as he realized where he would get the picture.

Tim. He recorded _everything_ on his phone.

Nathan looked over at Tim, who wasn't sitting very far away. It was the middle of class, but Nathan couldn't wait. If he was going to get that video, he would need to get it now.

"Tim," He whispered, very conscious of Haley's brown eyes watching him.

"What?" He asked curiously.

"Let me see your phone."

Tim shook his head, "No way, man. If I get caught with my phone again, they're going to take it away."

Nathan rolled his eyes, "Listen, I need to see if-"

"Mr. Scott!" Nathan was interrupted by the female substitute teacher, "Do you have something you'd like to share?"

Nathan thought for a moment, he needed to get that phone. So, he came up with another plan.

"Actually, I was wondering," He said, trying to come up with an insult, "If you were a virgin?"

"Excuse me?"

"I guess not," He continued, "That's probably why you're dressed like a slut."

Her face erupted in anger, "NATHAN SCOTT!! Go to the office!"

He smiled, just like he planned. He stood up, walking towards the front of the classroom. As he passed Tim, he grabbed the tip of his phone and quickly slid it out of his pocket. He reached he door and glanced back into the class. He caught a glimpse of Haley, who looked like a wreck. Nathan quickly left the room, letting the door close behind him. He held up the phone and smiled, he got it.

But Nathan Scott didn't go to the office, he went home.

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Nathan paused the video on his computer. It was the best shot he could get of Tim and Lucas's shooter. He copied, pasted, and then printed the picture. Then, he laid the two pictures out on the desk in front of him. Though he only had two pictures, Nathan would never forget that man's face. He stared at the men, they were the men who had shot at him and his friends.

The men that were paid by his _father_.

Nathan shook his head from that thought. He couldn't start feeling bad right now, there was no time for that. He had a plan and he _had_ to do this. For him, for the town, for his friends. But most of all, for Haley. If he didn't stop Dan, he would hurt Haley for sure. This plan would work, it had to.

The next step, he needed to find out their names. He thought for a moment. He needed to find the files of everyone in town, which was easy to access. A _computer_, that's what he needed. But that would be in town hall, how would he get in there? Nathan smiled to himself, he knew how he would get in there.

But he couldn't do it alone.

He grabbed his phone, calling someone Nathan knew would help.

"Hey, Luke." He greeted, "I need your help."

"About time."

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Chapter six is done! And don't worry, I'm not splitting Haley and Nathan up!!! Please review!!


	7. 7: B&E

Seventh Chapter already, hoping I get to the 10 chapter mark! Sorry to all the Naley lovers for making them break up!

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"I'm sorry for earlier, Nate." Nathan rolled his eyes, he was starting to regret calling Lucas for help. He'd been hearing Lucas's apology over and over again for an hour. Nathan had already accepted his apology numerous times.

"I was wrong about you Nathan," Lucas explained again, "Your nothing like Dan. I mean, you actually asked for help and didn't close everyone out."

Nathan just nodded, "I know, man. It's okay. Plus, _I_ hit _you_."

Lucas smiled, "Ya, you need to work on your punch."

Nathan rolled his eyes again, "okay, so now that we're done with the apologies, can we get back to work?"

"Right, so _why_ are we hiding behind a dumpster?"

Nathan peered around the dumpster, looking at the streets. All clear. They were in an alleyway outside of the town Hall and Nathan hadn't told Lucas what he had planned for them to do.

"We're going to break into town hall." Nathan stated.

Lucas's eyes widened, "What?"

Nathan looked around for awhile, finally spotting a fire escape.

"First of all, Luke, give me a boost."

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Haley had been in the bathroom for awhile, and Brooke was getting worried. She had left the door open and Brooke could hear Haley throwing things around.

Finally, Brooke decided it was time to figure out what was going on. She walked into the bathroom just in time for a pack of birth control pills to skid across the floor. She picked it up, it was already open.

"Your out." She stated, causing Haley to turn around, "Looks like you're missing a few days."

"Ya, I ran out a few days ago. I need some more."

Brooke tilted her head to the side, "What are you looking for?"

Haley sighed and turned around, "I don't know, this is what I do when I'm upset."

"What happened?"

"Nathan and I had a fight earlier and I think we broke up." She said quietly.

"What were you fighting about?"

"Dan stuff."

Brooke laughed, "Tutor-girl! You're not broken up!"

"We're not?" Haley was confused.

"No, Nathan was just protecting you."

"He was?"

Brooke rolled her eyes at her friend, "He doesn't want you to get involved with Dan, Haley. Can't you see that?"

"But whatever it is, we need to get through it together."

"That's why," Brooke put her finger up matter-of-factly, "You need to go over there and talk to him. With everything that's going on, I think he needs to see you right now."

Haley nodded, "You know, Brooke, your right. I should go over there and talk to him."

Brooke nodded, then held the pills up, "I'll get you some more, okay tutor-girl?"

Haley hugged her friend, "Thanks Brooke, I appreciate it."

"No problem, Haley. Now go get that boy of yours."

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"We _really_ shouldn't be in here, Nate." Lucas whispered to his brother, his tone was begging Nathan to stop.

Nathan looked around the room. He never thought he would ever find himself breaking into the mayor's- Dan Scott's- office.

"Okay, what exactly are we looking for?" Lucas asked.

Nathan searched the room with his flashlight, "A desk."

There was a loud banging sound, "Damn, I found it."

Nathan shone his flashlight on his brother's pained face. He was holding his knee, cursing.

"Be careful." Nathan mumbled, shining his light on the desk. Sure enough, there was a computer.

Nathan sat down in the big chair, turning to the computer. He turned it on and it immediately asked him for a password. He typed it in and watched as the screen read 'Access Granted.'

"How did you know the password?"

Nathan smiled, "I found it out awhile ago without telling my dad. It's such a good password that he uses it for everything."

Lucas laughed, "Well, it's not such a great password anymore, is it?"

Nathan looked at the computer screen and clicked on the files it contained. Sure enough, he found the files for the citizens of Tree Hill.

"Lucas, can you go cover the door?"

Lucas nodded and walked over to the door. When Lucas was gone, Nathan pulled out the two pictures he had. He looked up each shooter by their appearances. Sure enough, he found all of their names and addresses.

Peyton and Mouth's shooter: Chase Watkins

Lucas and Tim's shooter: Eddie Samuels

Nathan and Haley's shooter: Craig Jacobs

Nathan glared at the last picture, the one of Craig Jacobs. He stared at the man's face, he would be able to pick that face out from a crowd. Even now, he could remember the look of horror on Haley's face, and the feeling of the cold, metal of the gun pressed up against his forehead.

"Nathan, I think someone's coming." Lucas hissed.

Nathan quickly copied down the information on a sticky-note nearby, peeling it off the pad. He stopped and picked up the pad, frowning. He could see the dents on where he had written, and he could read what it said. He peeled off more sticky-notes until there were no dents left.

"Nathan!" Lucas hissed again, "We have to go!"

Nathan could hear the footsteps too, it must have been the guard. He turned off the computer, shoved the post-it-notes in his backpack and climbed out the window. Lucas was right behind him, and they quickly jumped down the fire escape and ran down the alleyway.

"What was that all about?" Lucas asked angrily.

"What do you mean?"

Lucas rolled his eyes, "We just _broke_ into town Hall, Nathan!"

"So we did a little B&E, so what?"

"We broke into the mayor's office, high-jacked a government computer, stole classified information _and_ ran away! Nathan, you can't possibly think we could get away with this!"

Lucas was doing it again, he was being the negative one. The _smart_ one, actually. Nathan knew he would get caught eventually, but he had time before that to catch the guys who had shot at the kids from Tree Hill High.

"If anyone asks, Luke, this never happened."

"Nathan! What are you planning on doing? Finding these guys and making them squeal? They have _guns_, Nate, _guns_! They'll shoot you!"

Nathan shook his head, "You're my older brother, Luke. I understand you want to protect me, but I care about you too much to get you involved."

Lucas felt something twist in his stomach, there was something wrong. Something was going to happen, something _bad_.

"Nathan! They are going to _kill_ you!"

Nathan smiled, "Let's see them try."

With that, Nathan walked back to his car and drove off. Lucas headed for his own car, watching Nathan speed away. Something was wrong, he could feel it. Was it possible?

Was Nathan Scott losing his mind?

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Nathan had only been home for an hour before he heard the front door open. He felt himself stiffen, was it Dan again? He listened for the footsteps, then they reached his room doorway.

"Nathan?"

His breathe caught when he heard her voice. He spun around and came face-to-face with Haley. He immediately felt the weight of everything today weigh on him. Her face was red and puffy, she had been crying, and all he wanted to do was comfort her.

"Haley." He wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, Hales. I over-reacted and I just wanted to help you. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

She pulled him back and looked at his face, which was red now.

"I just, I-"

"It's okay." She cut him off before he began to cry, "I know you were trying to protect me from Dan, but we need to do this together."

He smiled at her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the necklace that had his ring on it.

"I think this belongs to you." She put it back around his neck.

"I'm sorry, hales. I would never want you gone," He whispered to her, "I love you."

"I love you too." She kissed him passionately. He kissed back and before she knew it, he had pushed her on the bed.

"Nathan-" He was now kissing up and down her neck.

But she didn't stop him, it was too romantic, too _right_.

He kissed her again, "I love you _so_ much."

"I love you too. Always and forever."

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Chapter 6 and they are back together! YAY NALEY!! Please review!


	8. 8: Talk

Chapter Seven and I'm starting to get writers block. If you don't know what a B&E is, it's a breaking and entering. I got it from Dane Cook, he is so funny! Anyway, please enjoy!

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_His eyes were dark as he stared at the basketball net. He dribbled the ball down his personal basketball court and jumped up for a dunk. The ball went in and his large body fell back down to the ground._

_He pulled his towel around his hot neck and walked off of his court in his front yard. He went into the bathroom, washing his sweaty face in the sink. He wiped his face clean and then looked up at the mirror._

_Nathan jumped back when he saw his reflection. It wasn't his face he saw, it was Dan's._

"_Dad?" He whispered to the reflection, squinting to see the face better. Every move he made, the reflection did the same. "What's going on?"_

"_Nathan Scott!" _

_He jumped again as he recognized the anger in her voice._

"_Haley?"_

_She stomped into the bathroom, her face red with anger._

"_How _dare_ you!"_

_He cocked his head to the side, "What are you talking about, Hales?"_

"_You've never wanted him! Just because he is your _son_ doesn't mean you can butt into his life!"_

"_Who's life?"_

"_Jamie's life!"_

_Nathan stared at her. Jamie? Who was Jamie?_

"_Leave him alone, Nathan! If Jamie wan'ts to play basketball, then let him do that!"_

"_But Haley…"_

"_No, Nathan! Stay away from my son! You gave him, and me, up years ago!"_

_She turned on her heel, but he grabbed her wrist, "I have no idea what you're talking about. I would never give you up. I love you, hales."_

_She slapped him across the face, "Don't you _ever_ say that to me again!"_

_With that, she stomped out of his house. He went to follow her, and then stopped when he saw the figure watching him. He turned and glared at them. _

"_Trouble again, Dad?" Nathan stared with wide eyes at his 'son'. It was _him_._

"_Nathan?" He asked himself._

"_No, Dad. That's you. I'm Nick."_

"_Nick?"_

_Nick rolled his eyes, "Anyway, I have something to tell you."_

"_What?"_

"_I decided to live with mom."_

_Nathan had no idea what was going on, was he crazy? He gazed at the boy with_ his_ face, not knowing what to do._

"_Your mom?"_

_Nathan watched as a woman walked in. Her dark brown hair was tied up in a pony tail and she looked a lot older then he had remembered her._

"_Brooke?"_

"_I'm sorry, Nathan. But it's better for Nick if he lives with me."_

"_But-"_

"_Just sign the divorce papers, Nathan."_

_She grabbed Nick's arm, pulling him towards the door._

"_Why?" He asked, not sure who he was talking to._

"_Enjoy living in the past, Nathan." Brooke pulled Nick out the door, leaving Nathan alone in the large mansion._

_He looked around the half-empty house. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, but it was his dad's face still._

"_Your just like me, Nathan."_

_Nathan glared at the refelction, "No, I'm not. This _can't_ be my future."_

"_You're just like me."_

"_No!" Nathan punched the mirror, feeling the glas shatter underneath his fist. The blood trickled down his arm and he collapsed._

"_No." He whispered, tears running down his face._

_He closed his eyes, letting the blood seep out from his hand._

When Nathan opened his eyes, he was in bed. He sat up quickly, looking around the room. He looked over at his side and smiled.

Haley's eyes were closed as she stayed in her peaceful sleep.

"it was just a dream." He whispered to himself.

But Nathan didn't feel well. That _wouldn't_ be his future, not if he could control it. It was then he realized what he had to do. He had to face his father. Not just a talk, but something more.

Nathan had to set himself free.

"I'm sorry." He whispered to Haley, the tears running down his face. Why was he so sad, why was he crying? He finally realized why. His father wasn't going to let him go without a fight.

If Nathan fought back, he knew something bad would come of it. His father always pushed things. If Nathan tried to get away, Dan would do something horrible to him.

'Nathan! They are going to _kill_ you!'

"Your right, luke." He mumbled. Was it true?

Was Nathan going to die?

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They had been lying there together for a long time now, just enjoying eachother's company.

"I love you Haley." Nathan whispered to her.

She looked up at him and smiled, "I love you too, nate. You know that."

He kissed her again and sighed. She sighed too.

"I wish we could stay like this forever."

He smiled at her comment, "Why can't we?"

"The real world's still out there, Nate."

"That's not what I meant." He mumbled, his lips pressed against her forehead.

"What did you mean?"

"We should move back in together."

She stared up at him, "But we don't have any money, or jobs, or apartments…"

"I don't care. I just want to be with you" _'For the time I have left.'_ Nathan thought.

She laughed, "I would love to move in with you."

He smiled at her lovingly, "You _are_ amazing, Haley James."

"Scott."

He cocked his head to the side, 'What?"

"You called me haley James, my name is Haley James Scott."

He shook his head, "sorry."

She laid her head back down on his bare chest. She smiled, just enjoying this moment before they had to get back to the real world. But something Nathan said made her nervous.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"When?"

"When I die."

She sat up quickly and stared at him, her face showed shock. "Why would you ask that?"

'_Because I think I'm going to die soon.'_

"I just want you to be okay, Hales." It was partly true.

"Nathan! Nothing's going to happen to you."

'_you have no idea, Haley.'_

"I know. I just want you to be okay if something does."

She hugged him tightly, "If this is about your dad, we can face him together. You're going to be okay."

"this isn't about my dad, Hales. I just wanted to make sure you'd be lright. I can't really control the future."

She looked nervous, but he kissed her, "It'll be okay." He promised.

She nodded, "Okay. As long as you'll be safe."

"I'm safe."

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Eighth Chapter is done!!


	9. 9: Another Shooting

Ninth Chapter!! I just realized something, if I write my story the way I have it planned, it's going to be LONG!! Sucks for you guys!! Anyway, please read!!

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Nathan stared at Haley, giving her the puppy dog eyes.

"Don't do this to me, Nate." She begged.

"Why do you have to go? Stay here for the rest of the day!"

Haley shook her head at him, "I have to pick a few things up, and I promised to go out with Brooke."

"Be careful what you do with Brooke. You know she's had some wild nights in the past."

She giggled and put her hand on his cheek, "Lucas's tattoo was his decision."

Nathan laughed and kissed her goodbye. She turned to leave.

"Oh, and Haley? When you get your next tattoo, get one of my face."

She shook her head, "You are something, Nathan."

She blew him a kiss goodbye and walked out the door.

Nathan lay back down on the bed and smiled, at least he had Haley. That's all he needed.

Haley.

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Brooke threw her phone down again. Haley and her had plans tonight. It was starting to get dark and Haley wasn't picking up her phone.

"Dammit, Haley." She mumbled, "Where are you?"

She laughed at herself when she realized where Haley was.

"Nathan's, you idiot." She said to herself.

She got off the couch and headed out the door. She got in her car and drove, heading towards Nathan's house.

"You can't ignore Brooke Davis, Haley."

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Brooke opened the door, it was never locked. She walked in the door and into the front hallway.

"Haley?"

Nobody answered. Brooke crossed her arms, Haley was trying to avoid her.

She walked around the house, looking for someone, _anyone_, in the house. She bumped into one of the chairs and cursed. It made a loud sound as it crashed to the ground.

"Haley?"

Brooke heard the door open again. She was in the other room, so she could only hear the creak when the door opened. She also heard the footsteps.

"Haley?" She called, she was getting nervous.

"Brooke?"

Then she heard the gun.

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Nathan had just been sitting in his room, playing playstation. That's what he did when he was bored. He hadn't heard anyone come in, until he heard the loud bang.

"Haley?"

No one answered him. He looked out his door and could see one of the chairs knocked over, someone was definitely here. He walked towards the living room, but heard the door open and the footsteps.

He looked into the living room and smiled, it was just Brooke.

"Haley?" She called.

"Brooke?"

That's when Nathan saw the figure come into the doorway. He noticed the gun first. He immediately ran forward and tackled Brooke, hearing the gunshot.

He grabbed a hold of Brooke, who wasn't moving very much, and rushed into the hallway. He pulled her into the hallway closet with him, pushing into one of the corners.

"Brooke?"

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"Can I help you?"

Haley laughed and smiled at her best friend. She handed Lucas one of the grocery bags.

"Thank you."

He smiled. "No problem. Why are you shopping?"

"I'm just getting some things for Nathan. His fridge is pretty much empty. What are you doing here?"

"My mom told me to pick up some fruit. I think she just wanted me out of the house."

Haley rolled her eyes, "I'm not surprised. Her and Keith need to be alone."

"Hey, do you want a ride to Nathan's. I was going to head over there soon anyway."

She nodded, "Ya, thanks Luke."

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"Brooke?"

"Nathan?" Her voice was very quiet.

"Did he hit you?"

"My arm."

He pulled her sleeve up and rubbed her arm. He couldn't see it, but he felt the bullet in her arm and the warm blood around it.

"I don't want to die." Her voice was cracking, and he knew she was crying.

He held her close and put lots of pressure on her arm.

"It's okay, Brooke. I won't let anything happen to you."

She put her head on his shoulder, and he lay his head on hers.

"You'll be okay."

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Haley's face froze in shock when she saw the crowd around his house. She got out of the car quickly and ran towards the house. There was a block between the house and her, with plenty of police with guns in their hands. The lights were flashing on the police cars and ambulance.

"Haley!" She turned to see Karen, "I thought you were in there, thank god your safe."

"What's going on?" Lucas asked, concerned.

Keith put his arm around Lucas, "There's a guy in there with a gun."

"What?" Haley's eyes watered, "Is Nathan still in there?"

"They don't know." Karen whispered, hugging Haley.

"What's going on?"

They all turned, it was Dan.

"Another shooting, mayor." One of the officers exclaimed.

"At my house?"

"Nathan might be in there." Lucas told Dan, who turned around to look at him.

"What?"

Haley spoke, "He was in there before I left."

Dan turned back to the house and then glared at it. He went passed the barrier and began talking to the police officers.

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The closet was lit up by Nathan's phone. He could see Brooke's red, tear-filled face and her blood soaked arm.

"I'm going to call someone." He told her, trying to keep her talking.

"Don't call Haley, she hasn't been answering her phone."

He smiled, "Ya, it's out of batteries."

He shone the phone at Brooke's face, "Are you okay?"

"I'm in a lot of pain."

He put his arm around her and pulled her closer into a tight hug.

"I just wish Lucas was here."

He smiled at her, "What, I'm not good enough to be stuck in a closet with you?"

She laughed quietly, "I just miss Lucas, that's all. I'm scared."

"Your going to be alright, Brooke. I won't let anything happen to you."

"You could make a break for it, I'm sure you'd make it."

He shook his head, "No, I'm not going to leave you behind."

Brooke put her head on his shoulder, "You hate me right now, don't you?"

"No, I don't hate you. Brooke, believe it or not, your one of my friends. I would never abandon you."

"Thank you."

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"I just got a text from Nathan." Lucas stated, making Haley snap out of her trance, "He's in there with Brooke…and she's been shot."

"What?" Haley's eyes watered, "this is all my fault."

"No, Haley, it's not your fault."

"You don't understand, Lucas."

He glared, "The girl I love and my brother are in there! I know just how you feel!"

Haley hugged Lucas tightly, tears spilling from her eyes, "I just hope they're okay."

"They will be."

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"Come out, you bastard!" Nathan flinched, the man's voice was so close. "How dare you turn in Eddie!"

Nathan's eyes widened. Eddie? Eddie Samuels had been the man who shot at Lucas and Tim. The only thing from that day had been Tim's video. Had Tim turned in the video and got Eddie arrested?

He sighed, Tim had just made things worse.

Nathan also recognized the man in his house right now, it matched Peyton's picture perfectly. What was his name again?

Chase Watkins, that was it.

"Come out here, Nathan Scott! You're the only one that I want!"

Nathan felt himself starting to shake.

"Come out now and no one else will be hurt!"

Nathan looked over at Brooke, her blood all over him. He had to get her out of here…or she was going to die.

He stood slowly, pulling her up. She grabbed his arm desperately.

"No, Nathan." Brooke pleaded, "Please don't do this."

He ignored her, opening the closet door and walking out. The gun was pointed at him instantly, Chase Watkins behind it.

"Chase, just let the girl go out, then you can do whatever you want." Nathan begged.

Chase nodded. Nathan pushed Brooke towards the door.

"Nathan!"

"Go!" Nathan told her and then lowered his voice, "Go see Lucas."

Brooke had tears in her eyes as she ran out the door. Chase closed the door when she was out of sight.

"I've got you now, Nathan Scott."

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Lucas shoved past the barrier when he saw Brooke exit the house.

"Lucas." She was crying, "He let me go, but he's going to kill Nathan."

Lucas saw her arm and pulled her towards the ambulance.

"It's okay, Brooke." He whispered, "He'll be alright. Just go to the hospital."

She nodded and went into the ambulance.

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"Dan, we need to do something _now_." Keith said, concerned.

"We have information that says the man only wants Nathan."

"That's your son, Dan!"

Dan turned and glared at his older brother, "You think I don't know that?"

"Listen, Dan, I'm going in there. That's my nephew in there!"

"Keith…"

"No, little bro. I'm going in there. I can save him! You know that! If you want your son back, you'll let me go in."

Dan nodded, "Alright, Keith."

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Nathan waited until the man looked away and then made a break for the door. But before he could make it, the gun was brought down on his head. Nathan was surrounded by blackness as he fell unconscious.

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Keith saw Nathan lying on the floor and ran to his nephew's side.

"Nathan!" There was no answer, he was unconscious.

"Who are you?"

Keith turned and saw the man with the gun, which was now pointed at him.

"I'm someone who wants to help you."

The man glared.

"Why are you doing this?"

The man's face seemed panicked now, seeing Keith's calm face.

"I just needed money," he said, "He gave me money, I never wanted this to happen."

"Someone paid you?"

He didn't answer the question, "I don't want to go to prison. I'd rather die then get locked away for my whole life."

"If you tell me who paid you, we can shorten your sentence."

"No, I'm _never_ going to prison!" he pulled the gun to himself.

"Who paid you?"

"Dan Scott!" He yelled and then shot himself in the stomach.

Keith bent down by him, but it was too late, he was already dead.

"He was always the weakest."

Keith turned to see his older brother.

"Dan, you paid him to shoot your _son_?"

Dan smiled and picked up the gun, "You have no idea, Keith."

"Dan, why?"

"Next time you try to kill me," Dan spoke angrily to him, "make sure you finish the job."

The gun went off and Keith fell over, blood pooling out from him.

Dan smiled in victory. After everything, it was over.

Keith Scott was dead.

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Chapter nine done!!


	10. 10: Hybrid Tea Roses

Chapter 10!! It's amazing that I already have 10 chapters!

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Flowers are used for many things. They can be used for good luck, for getting well, for love, and for just enjoying their natural beauty. But there is one thing flowers do that no one wishes for. They show respect to those who have passed.

Like Keith Scott.

People always blame themselves for the death of someone they love. There was no exception from Keith's death. Lucas blamed himself, Haley blamed herself, Brooke blamed herself, and even Karen blamed herself. But Nathan _knew_ who's fault it was. There were two.

First was Dan Scott. He had hired the man in the first place to kill the people Nathan cared about. He also let Keith go into the house, even though it was dangerous.

The second was Nathan Scott himself. He blamed himself, because it all started with him. If he hadn't tried to get away from his father, the shooters would never been hired. And if Nathan hadn't have been trapped in the house, Keith would never have gone in there.

And now, Nathan couldn't stop thinking he had caused his uncle's death. All he wanted to do was sit alone in his house, the house Keith had died in.

And that's what he did.

Nathan lay down on his bed, alone. He held a rose in his hand. Not a red rose, but a pink one. They were called Hybrid tea roses and they meant "I'll remember you always." It was the rose that had been blooming everywhere around Keith's grave. All he could do was stare at that flower, the memories of everything running through his head.

And seeing his whole life, in just thirty seconds, Nathan felt worse. He hadn't gotten to know his uncle well enough because of Dan. He loved Keith, of course. He just wished he had more time with him.

Nathan looked over at his phone, which was now vibrating on his bedside table. He stared at the phone, reading the name over and over again.

Haley.

He kept reading the name and finally picked it up.

"Hello?"

Haley's voice on the other end sounded relieved, "Nathan, your okay! I've been worried about-"

"Stop calling me." He cut her off, then hung up before she said another word.

He felt bad for blowing her off, but he just couldn't find the courage to talk to her. He knew that if they started a conversation then he would have to explain what was going on with him.

That was too much to have to explain to Haley.

The phone vibrated again and he stared at the name.

Haley.

Nathan grabbed his cell phone and threw it at one of the walls as hard as he could, smashing it into pieces. He let out a sigh, trying to calm himself, but he still felt angry. He decided to go into the bathroom to cool down. Nathan put his face in the sink, splashing the cold water in his face. He wiped his face clean then looked up in the mirror.

Nathan jumped back, seeing the face in the mirror. It wasn't his face he saw, but it was the hard, angry face of his father. Nathan's dream replayed in his head, and then his father's words echoed.

'_You're just like me.'_

"No!" Nathan yelled, punching the face in the mirror. But it wasn't good enough, he could still see the face. He punched the mirror another time, and then another, and before he knew it the mirror was completely destroyed. He walked out of the bathroom and there it was, another mirror portraying him as Dan.

He grabbed the baseball from his room and swung at the mirror. By the time he was done, everything that showed a reflection had been smashed by his bat.

It was then that he realized the blood rushing down his arm. He quickly ran to the kitchen, turning on the water to rinse his hand. But instead of water, the liquid was red. He turned off the tap, but the blood kept running. He panicked, trying anything to get the blood to stop running. Nathan hit the tap, but it broke off and the blood-water started spraying in the air.

Nathan collapsed on the floor, letting the red water rain over him. And lying there, panicked and afraid, Nathan realized something.

He was going crazy.

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"Hit me."

Lucas grabbed the shot glass and gulped it down.

Keith was dead, and it was all his fault. If he was stronger he could have protected Brooke and stopped Keith. Keith would still be alive.

His mom was sad, sad and angry. He couldn't be around her. It had been a week and a half without his uncle, and Karen seemed like _she_ was dead.

"Hit me."

The girl at the bar gave him a weird look, but slid another shot glass down to him. He drank it quickly and sat there for awhile, staring at the empty shot glass.

Then he looked at his hand, where he held a pink rose. His mother had chosen it, for its meaning was "I'll remember you always." What was it called again? Lucas couldn't remember. His head hurt too much, which made it hard for him to think clearly.

"Hit me."

Lucas had trouble catching this one, but he managed to stop it. He drank this one down slowly and looked back at the flower. The flower that had covered the earth on the day of Keith Scott's funeral.

He drank again, but this time he couldn't get down to the bottom. The liquor suddenly became nauseating and Lucas didn't feel well. He leaned over to the side and threw up.

"I think you should go."

Lucas looked up at the girl serving drinks and managed a smile.

"Ya, you're right." He agreed and rushed to get out the door. When he was on the street he called a cab.

It came quickly, since Tree Hill wasn't a very big town.

"Where to?"

Lucas gave the address, but was surprised it wasn't his own. The house was the one that Keith Scott had died in. It was Nathan's house. Lucas knew he couldn't go home in his current state, and Nathan would take care of him. But one thing Lucas knew for sure.

He was definitely drunk.

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When Lucas walked in the door, he saw glass and water everywhere. He blinked a few times, wondering if he was so drunk he was seeing things.

"Nathan." His words were obviously slurred.

He walked to Nathan's room, where he saw Nathan sitting on his bed. He was playing with something metal in between his hands.

"Nathan?" At the sound of Lucas, Nathan dropped what he had in his hand and kicked it under the bed.

Lucas fell down on the bed and looked over at the smashed pieces of Nathan's cell phone.

"Dude, what did you do to your phone?" He asked drunkly.

"Lucas? Are you drunk?"

Lucas laughed, "Yep."

Nathan rolled his eyes and grabbed Lucas by the arm, pulling him off the bed. He dragged him to the kitchen and went into the fridge.

"What's up with your sink?" Lucas asked, pointing to the water spraying everywhere.

Nathan ignored him and pulled out the milk. He went over to the counter and poured the milk into a cup, as well as a brown liquid.

Lucas's face scrunched up, "What is that?"

"Its coffee, it will help." He slid the cup over the counter to him and sighed, "I can't believe your drunk."

Lucas laughed again, "ya."

Nathan made a face when he realized that Lucas had a puke stain on the front of his shirt.

"Let me get you a new shirt." He said and walked out of the room.

Lucas just stared at the coffee in the mug and sighed. He took a huge gulp of the coffee and smiled, it felt a lot better than alcohol. It made his whole body warm, and his arm relaxed. He looked over at his arm, why was it so relaxed? It seemed almost…numb?

That's when the pain started. It felt like his heart was pumping too fast. He clutched at his chest, trying to make it stop, but it just got worse.

"N-Nathan!" He called out, his voice hoarse.

He fell out of his chair to the ground and landed in a heap on the floor.

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He was gone for a minute, that was it, a minute. Nathan had just gone into the other room to get Lucas a new shirt.

"N-Nathan!"

Nathan turned around instantly, Lucas's voice was hoarse and rough.

Something was wrong.

He ran back into the kitchen just in time to see Lucas hit the ground hard. He ran to his brother's aid, not sure what was going on.

"Lucas! Lucas, what's wrong?"

Lucas tried to speak, but he was gasping for air, holding his chest tightly. Nathan put his hand on Lucas's chest and felt his heart beating.

"Hang on, Luke."

He ran to the phone, calling the ambulance.

"Nate.."

He ran back to Lucas and sat beside him, still panicking. Lucas was having a heart attack, and there was nothing Nathan could do.

"Nat-" Lucas's voice was cut off when his breathing stopped.

Nathan immediately hit down on Lucas's chest repeatedly.

"No, man. You can't leave me!" Nathan yelled, his eyes watering.

He watched his friend – no, his _brother_ – was lying on the ground _dying_. But Nathan wasn't giving up on him. He took a deep breathe, knowing this was going to be awkward later. It was worth it if Nathan could save his brother.

"It's a standard medical procedure." He told himself. "And this is my brother."

He made a face as he bent over his brother's body, getting ready to give him mouth-to-mouth.

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Chapter 10 done!! Sounds like a weird ending, but there is absolutely no gayness involved.


	11. 11: Help

Chapter 11!!

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Lucas's eyes opened slowly, he wasn't sure if he wanted to wake up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Haley James Scott, his best friend.

"Lucas! You're awake!" She hugged him tightly, tears in her eyes. "I was so worried about you!"

Lucas hugged her back weakly, "I'm okay, Haley."

"How do you feel?"

He yawned, "I feel like I've been sleeping for years."

"Close, you've been asleep for a few days."

Lucas shook his head, trying to clear it, "I had a heart attack, so how am I still alive?"

Haley moved out of the way for Lucas to see Nathan silently sitting behind her. Lucas realized quickly why he was so quiet, he was asleep. His head was on Lucas's bed, his head was actually lying on Lucas's legs.

"He saved you Luke. The doctor said that if it wasn't for him, you wouldn't have made it to the hospital alive."

"What did he do?"

Haley shrugged, "I have no idea, he refuses to tell anyone. He won't even tell the doctors."

Lucas looked down at his brother's peaceful, sleeping face.

"You must be tired," Haley stated, "You should get some sleep, I'll call Karen and tell her you're awake."

He nodded, "You're right, I should sleep."

She kissed the top of his head and then went to wake up Nathan.

"Let him stay." Lucas told her.

She turned around and looked at her best friend, "Are you sure?"

"Ya, I don't want to bother him."

"Okay, see you Luke." She waved him goodbye.

"Bye, Hales."

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When Lucas woke up again, the first face he saw wasn't Haley's, it was his brother's. Nathan was still sitting in the same seat, but now he was staring at the other wall with his headphones blaring. Lucas sat up, which attracted Nathan's attention. He pulled his headphones out and looked over at the figure on the bed.

"Hey, little bro." Lucas greeted him with a weak smile.

Nathan's smile was bigger than Lucas had ever seen, "You're up. _Finally._"

"You saved me, Nate."

"What?"

"Haley told me." He stated, "Apparently if it wasn't for you I would have died."

Nathan just shrugged it off, like it was no big deal.

"Nate, I owe you my life."

Nathan shook his head, "What are you talking about? I didn't do what I did so you were in debt. I did it because you're my brother, I didn't want you to die."

Lucas stared at his brother's honest face and couldn't help but smile, "You were crying."

"No I wasn't." Nathan glared at him, "I wouldn't do that."

Lucas chuckled, he knew Nathan was lying.

He changed the subject, "So what exactly did you do?"

Nathan suddenly became nervous, "I just did what I had to do, okay?"

Lucas looked at his brother curiously, not understanding what was going on. Nathan was nervous and he was keeping something from him.

"You didn't tell me you had a heart condition."

Lucas looked guiltily at his brother, who was now very serious.

"I didn't want you to be worried."

Nathan ignored the excuse, "Did you take your pills?"

"…no."

Nathan glared at him, "What the hell were you thinking, Lucas? You could have died!"

Lucas sighed, "I know, I wasn't thinking."

Nathan seemed to calm down, "I know your upset about Keith."

Lucas looked down at his uncle's name. It hadn't been long enough for Lucas to realize Keith was gone forever.

"I know something's wrong with you too, Nate."

Nathan looked at his brother seriously, and then looked at the ground.

"I saw the gun."

Nathan looked at Lucas with a face of shock.

"So you saw it?" Nathan sounded sort of nervous again.

Lucas remembered when he had walked into Nathan's room after getting drunk. Nathan had been sitting on his bed, playing with the metal figure in his hands.

"Is it still under the bed?" Lucas asked, receiving a nod from Nathan.

"I also saw the smashed mirrors, and the smashed tap."

Nathan shook his head, "I don't know what's wrong with me, Luke. I keep seeing Dan and blood and..I think I might be going crazy."

"And how does the gun help?"

"It's for protection."

"From who?"

Nathan looked away, still refusing to talk to anyone about what was going on.

"Nathan!" Lucas yelled, "Stop pulling away!"

"Dan's trying to kill me!"

Lucas stared wide-eyed at his brother, he was definitely not expecting that.

"Dan hired those guys who brought guns to the school. The people they attacked was not a coincidence, they were paid to attack certain people…the people close to me."

"And the guy who shot Brooke and Keith…was one of them?"

Nathan nodded, bringing tears to Lucas's eyes.

"I knew Dan was bad," Lucas whispered, "But not that bad."

"No, the guy in my house was there on his own business. He was scared of being caught because one of the guys has been arrested."

Lucas gasped, "Nathan, your not gonna like this."

"What?"

"We found the video Tim made and turned it in. The police arrested one of the shooters."

Nathan rolled his eyes, "I know, that was a horrible idea. But what's done is done."

"Keith is dead because of that."

Nathan gave Lucas's legs a push, "Don't blame it on yourself, it's not your fault Keith died, you didn't pull that trigger."

"Anyway," Nathan changed the subject, "It's not over yet."

"What do you mean?"

"There's still one guy left, and I need to stop him before someone else dies."

"No," Lucas fought back, "We need to tell the police."

"We have no proof he has something to do with the shooting at the school."

"But Nate," Lucas was still upset, "You can't do this by yourself. Let me help you."

Nathan smiled, "You know, you're a good brother. And I _do_ need your help."

Lucas stared at him, "What? Did you just ask me for my help?"

"Ya."

"What changed your mind?"

"I think I'm going crazy, Luke. With the death of Keith and my dad now after me, I don't know how I can handle this without cracking…I need you."

"Really?"

Nathan nodded, "I still think you're going to get in danger, but there's no use on fighting it anymore. You're never going to give up."

Lucas chuckled, "Ya, it's true."

"Anyway, Nate." Lucas went on, "What's happening-"

He was cut off when the door opened, Karen walking in.

"Lucas!" She called, running to him and embracing him.

"I'll leave you alone." Nathan mumbled, rushing to get out of the room.

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Just as Nathan was out the door, he was grabbed by the arm and yanked into one of the other rooms. Nathan was taken off guard, but he was relieved to see it was just Brooke.

"Brooke?" He wasn't sure what to say to her.

She smiled at him, and he immediately noticed the sling on her doubt because of the bullet that had been in her arm.

Before Nathan could say anything more, Brooke laid a small peck on his cheek.

"What's that for?"

"I never got to thank you for saving my life."

He tilted his head to the side, "That's how you thank me?"

"Nope." She stated, reaching into her pocket. He stared as she pulled out a pair of keys.

"Keys?"

"The keys to my apartment."

Brooke attempted on handing the keys to him, but he pulled his hand away.

"Take it." She told him, "Haley told me that you were planning on moving back in together."

"But-"

"No buts, it's the least I can do. I'm staying with Peyton anyway."

She grabbed him by the wrist, placing the keys in his hand and then closing his fingers over it.

"Thanks Brooke."

"No problem." She smiled widely, "If it will make you and Haley happy again."

He smiled back and couldn't help but hug her. When they separated, she gave a wave and turned, walking away. But Nathan heard her mumble something that made him nervous.

"Poor Haley, she's going to be so lonely."

Nathan's eyes widened, what had she just said? He stared at her while she went out of sight. He shook his head, trying to shake out what he had just heard. But nothing would make him forget that, which worried him.

Did Brooke know?

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Chapter 11 done!!


	12. 12: Anger

When something you love is taken away from you, wouldn't you be happy when you got it back? You would think so. But as Nathan lay in bed with Haley, staring at her beautiful, sleeping face…he wasn't happy.

His brother was okay, Haley was okay, he was _living_ with Haley, his mom was coming home, and he had all the support he needed. But Nathan couldn't even smile, he couldn't even give a fake smile. And it was all because of what had happened just a few hours ago.

First, had been when Brooke had said "Poor Haley, she's going to be so lonely." She knew, he could tell.

And second, was when he had gone home for a minute to get some clothes. He had gone under the bed for a moment, but to find nothing. The gun he had stashed under it was gone. And to add on to that was the milk. That damn milk had said so much. Don't understand? It's simple really.

Nathan had taken one look at the milk carton and decided it had gone bad. But as he poured it in the sink, which had stopped spraying water on account that it was gone from the well, he had noticed something in the sink. Milk had not been the only thing that came out of that carton.

There was also powder. A drug, crushed up and poured into his milk, where he could drink it and…who knows what would have happened.

It was the milk that had been in Lucas's coffee before his heart attack. The milk that had _caused_ Lucas's heart attack.

That was one of the worst things ever. Dan was after Lucas, too.

Nathan took one last look at Haley and sighed. He couldn't be here right now, he couldn't feel such _anger_ when he was so close to her. He had to leave.

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Haley stopped at the sight of the blonde woman. She had not expected her to be here, even if it _was_ her house. It was just weird.

"Hey, Deb." Haley greeted Nathan's mom.

Deb turned around and smiled at her, "Haley, I was wondering when you'd get here."

"You knew I was coming?"

She nodded, "Of course, I know Nathan spent the night _here_."

Haley could feel the tears in her eyes, "Oh Deb, I don't know what to do anymore. He won't talk to me, he leaves partway in the night, and he keeps doing things that put him in danger."

Deb came around the kitchen counter and embraced the upset girl. Haley just stuck her face into Deb's shoulder and tried to stop her tears.

"I've been having this dream for awhile now and I'm starting to get scared."

"Talk to me about it, maybe it will help."

Haley sighed and recalled the dream, "Nathan's trapped somewhere and it's filling up with water. He's going to drown, but somehow he's talking to me on a cell phone."

There was a long pause before Deb answered, "Give me your phone."

Haley looked up at her and stared, confused. "My phone?" She pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to her.

Deb opened it up, pressing some keys and then handing it back to her.

"I added my number," She stated, pulling out her pink and black zebra striped cell phone.

"Why?"

"Because it will help you. If you ever have troubles with Nathan, or you just need someone to talk to, you give me a call. Anytime."

Haley gave Deb another hug, "Thank you, Deb."

"Anything for my daughter-in-law."

Haley wiped her tears away and forced a smile, "So where's Nathan?"

"He left for school a few minutes ago. Here, I'll give you a ride to school."

Haley nodded, "Thanks."

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"What?" Haley could feel her knees go weak at what he friend had just said.

Brooke nodded, but her face was pressed down in a frown, "I'm serious, Hales."

She shook her head, not believing what she had just heard, "It can't be true, Nathan isn't like that."

"Lucas saw it, Haley. Nathan has a gun."

She shook her head again, "He would never try and hurt someone, would he?"

"Lucas said he's planning on confronting his father, and now he has a gun. Sorry, Haley, but this doesn't look too good for him."

Haley looked around nervously, "Where is he?"

Brooke sighed, "He left school already."

Haley turned around without another word and rushed towards the door. She could hear Brooke calling her, but she couldn't stay. She had to find Nathan.

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It was starting to get dark and Nathan had been waiting in his car for awhile. He was staring at a house that he never thought he would be in front of again. He remembered one time when he was here, his father had actually said that he was proud of him. But that seemed like another lifetime, when his father had been_ just_ a major ass.

But now he was a major psychopath who wanted to kill everyone. And Nathan had been staring at the beach house for a long time before he had the courage to confront his dad. He may not have a gun to protect himself, but he had to do _something_. He needed the anger to go away, so all he had left was love for his wife and for his entire life. He wanted to be happy again, but he couldn't until he was done with Dan.

So he entered the house, defenseless. And he regretted it immediately.

"Hello, Nathan." The sound of his father's voice caused him to shudder.

"Dad." He mumbled, trying to sound strong, but his voice wavered.

"I know what you did." He stated, he had fixed his voice and had made it solid.

Dan laughed, but Nathan only heard something sinister. "And what is that, Son?"

"You hired those guys to kill my friends!!"

Dan sneered at Nathan, "You think so, do you?"

"Yes."

"I don't have time for this, Nathan. Just go, you're a waste of my time."

Nathan glared at him, "No, I'm not leaving! How could you do this dad? They killed _Keith_! Your brother!"

Dan shrugged it off, "I was never a fan of his."

"Then what about _me_?" Nathan's voice was starting to show his emotions, "Does your _son_ mean anything to you anymore?"

"You know I love you."

"No, you don't!" Nathan screamed, "They tried to kill me, dad! And you didn't do _anything_! You're not a father, you're a psycho!"

Dan glared at his son long and hard, "I think you should go."

"Or what, Dad?"

"You'll be _just like me_. I can see it now, the stories."

Nathan's anger wavered for a moment, replaced by confusion, "What stories?"

"Everyone will be interested. 'Scott killed by Scott.' A masterpiece it will be."

Nathan began to back out the door, eyes staring at Dan. His _father_ had just threatened to kill him.

"Leave." Dan stated, and Nathan did just that.

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"Where have you been?"

Nathan's head was still down, what his father had said was weighing down on him.

"Nathan!" Haley called again, but he didn't answer. He just looked up at her wordlessly as he realized what Brooke had meant. Haley _was_ going to be alone, because Nathan was going to be killed. And as he looked at her angry face, he just couldn't find the right words for goodbye.

"Nathan!"

"Lucas will take care of you." He whispered to her as he kissed her. It had been uncalled for, and had just enraged her more. Haley's hands grabbed onto his shoulders as she threw him back. He fell back, surprised by the strength of such a small girl.

He stumbled back by her shove, but he quickly righted himself. Still, he didn't say anything.

"You can't just kiss me after all this, I need answers!" She yelled, "Nathan, talk to me!"

"It's going to be over soon Haley."

"Shut up! That's not what I wanted!"

He felt his anger rising, but there was a hint of pain in his voice, "What do you want from me?"

"I need to know what's going on!" She felt her face hot with her rage, "I looked _everywhere_ for you today, Nathan! But you were nowhere. You wouldn't answer your phone, either!"

Nathan remembered when he had gotten angry and smashed his phone, so of course he couldn't answer it.

"If this is about your dad, I can-"

"Help?" He cut her off, his anger now put in the open, "You _can't _help! If you help, you die!"

Haley glared at him, "Let me help you! You can't do this alone!!"

"I'm doing it _alone_!!" He screamed.

"What are you going to do? _Shoot_ him?"

"Maybe." Nathan mumbled.

"Stop it, Nate!" She screamed, "You are acting _just like Dan!_"

Something snapped in Nathan when he heard that, he'd been hearing it his whole life. Even to Haley, he couldn't stop from screaming_, "SHUT UP!!!!" _

Before Nathan could stop and apologize for what he had said, he felt something hard hit his face. His face went to the side from the force, and from the corner of his eyes he could see Haley's angry face, her hand still out-stretched in the air. His hand slowly lifted and touched his injured cheek. Nathan's eyes fill with tears as he realized what had happened, Haley had just slapped him.

Haley saw Nathan's hurt face, the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Haley could feel her heart ache for him, for the pain _she_ had just caused him.

"Nathan…" She whispered, tears falling from her eyes, "I'm…so…sorry…"

She reached for him again, but he flinched away from her. He backed away from her slowly, analyzing her face. Though she looked sad, he could still see the anger in her face. Before Haley could say another word, Nathan was running out the door.

"Nathan!!" She called after him, but when she reached the door, he was already in his car, driving away.

"_NATHAN!!!!"_ She screamed again, but it was too late.

He was gone.

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Nathan had driven as fast as he could, not wanting to stop. He ran every red light that came in his way, not stopping at any stop signs. He couldn't stop, he hoped that the bad things would just stay on the road behind him. But they didn't.

It didn't take long before his vision was going. Caused by the water wanting to escape his eyes, and the rain falling on his windshield. He pulled over at the nearest place and got out of the car, shocked to see where he had stopped.

It was an abandoned River court.

He walked with heavy feet along the cement of the basketball court, staring up at the rain falling down at him. He was soaked, but he didn't care at all. Nathan once again touched his cheek, which was still stinging. He remembered Haley's beautiful face scrunched up in anger. The weight of everything, all the fights, the deaths, the attacks, pushed down on Nathan's shoulders at once.

He fell over in the puddles and the mud and sobbed. His tears fell like baseballs down his face, they were huge and child-like, but he didn't care. No one could see him, no one could help him, he was alone. And he knew it.

He let out a hiccup as he continued to sob.

"Dammit!" He yelled as he punched down at the ground. "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

He stopped as his knuckles began to sting from the punching. Nathan felt weak and nauseas as he fell on his side and curled in a ball. He pulled his legs up and his fist was cradled between his knees and his chest. And even though he was soaked and cold and hurt, Nathan didn't move. He would stay like this forever, because the pain was too much.

He wouldn't leave.

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Haley's sobbing had been cut off short by a knock at the door. She ignored it, trying to calm herself.

The knock came again, "Police, open up."

Haley wiped her tears away and answered the door. And it was true, it was the police.

"Haley James Scott?"

"Yes."

"Where's Nathan Scott?"

Haley stared at their serious faces, "He left. What's going on?"

"We have a warrant for his arrest."

Her eyes began to water again, "What? What did he do?"

"He's being charged for the murder of his uncle, Keith Scott."

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Chapter 12 is done!! Please review!!


	13. 13: On the Run

"Lucas!!!"

Lucas sighed and glared out into the kitchen, "I'm already awake, mom!" He was lying, he was trying to get back too sleep. He pulled the pillow back over his head.

"Lucas!! Come here!" She yelled frantically.

Lucas jumped out of bed, rushing into the kitchen and, seeing his mom on the couch, ran into the living room.

"What is it?" He asked, but she just stared at the TV.

"_And our top story tonight." _The male news anchor spoke, _"The murder of Keith Scott, who died two weeks ago. The killer was believed to be the gunman, Chase Watkins, but new found evidence implies that there may be another killer. Nathan Scott, Tree Hill Ravens captain and son of mayor Dan Scott, has a warrant for his arrest after his fingerprints were found on the murder weapon. Police are still searching for the 17 year old, but this is what the deputy had to say."_

The screen changed to the police officer, _"Nathan Scott is still on the run, and we are unable to track him with his cell phone. However, we have found his car abandoned at the River court and evidence that implies that he slept there last night. Without his car, Nathan couldn't have left town, so the search is still undergoing in Tree hill."_

The anchorman came on again, _"If you see Nathan Scott, or have any information, please contact the police immediately. The suspect is dangerous and is believed to be armed."_

Lucas just stared at the screen, which had now gone blank. He could hear his mother's tears coming, just when it seemed like she had stopped crying.

"Mom…" But she was off the couch and slamming her bedroom door shut before he could say another word. She was back into her depression, back into her lifeless state. Lucas had to get out of here before it got to him. Nathan would never do anything like that, he was a good guy. Lucas shook his head of the thoughts, he wasn't the one who needed help right now.

Haley did.

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As soon as Haley saw him, she hugged him tighter than she had ever hugged him before. And she cried in his chest, she cried so hard, just melting into him.

"I'm scared." She whispered to him, but couldn't say anymore.

"Its okay, Hales," He whispered hugging her closer to him.

She looked up at his soft, inviting face, "Lucas…"

He looked down at her tear streaked face and frowned, "He didn't do it."

She shook her head, "I know, he would never do such a thing. He's loving and kind and…he would never."

Lucas kissed her forehead lightly, "Where is he?"

Haley was hit with the sudden realization of what was happening, "I don't know where he is."

As her tears came stronger, Lucas tried to distract her, "When was the last time you saw him?"

"We had a fight last night.."

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Nathan pulled his hood further down his face, trying to cover his identity. If he was found, Nathan would be arrested and charged for the murder of his uncle. He would _never_ do anything to hurt the people he cared about. So he had a gun, that didn't mean he was a killer. And how did his fingerprints get on the gun that killed Keith?

Nathan shook his bloody hand as he continued to walk on the sidewalk. His body still ached from last night, that horrible night. He had slept under the seats at the river court, very uncomfortable, and he had gotten sick from being in the rain all night.

Nathan stopped when he noticed the newspapers being displayed on the sidewalk. He stared long and hard at the headline on the front.

'_Scott killed by Scott'_. He glared at it. He had found a newspaper at the river court this morning and had read the article on the front. The story of a boy who killed his uncle. But it wasn't true, and reading the headline now made him smiled at himself for being to foolish. His father wasn't threatening Nathan's life last night, he was threatening his reputation. Dan Scott had framed Nathan, he wasn't sure how, but it was true.

Nathan heard a car coming and he tried not to look too suspicious. He sniffled a little and watched as the car drove passed him. It then pulled over in front of him. He swore as he realized it was a cop car, and a police officer came out of it.

"Excuse me? Can I see some Id?"

Nathan cursed again and turned, sprinting into one of the alleyways. But before he was out of sight, he heard the police officer speak into his radio.

"I'm in pursuit of Nathan Scott, requesting immediate backup."

He kept swearing, not sure what he was going to do.

"Dammit!" He yelled as he ran as fast as he could, "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

Nathan thanked Whitey for being so rough on them in practice. If it wasn't for Whitey, Nathan would never have been able to run this fast for so long. He laughed at himself, Whitey wouldn't be too proud of this.

The sound of a siren was heard no too far away. Nathan sprinted into another alleyway and then through another, and then another side road. He was lost himself, but he was sure he had lost them…for now. He needed to go somewhere, just to hide for a little bit. Nathan looked around nervously, wondering where he was, and finally realized he knew this area.

It was risky, but Nathan knew where he would go.

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"What's going on?" Brooke asked as she and Peyton were escorted into Haley's apartment, "Why are we here?"

Haley looked around the room, at all the familiar faces. Karen, Mouth, Skillz, Brooke, Peyton, Tim…so many people she knew. She had no idea why they were all meeting here.

"This is the safe house," One of the officers announced as he guarded the door.

Haley glared at him, "Nathan would never hurt us!"

The officer shook his head and took one last look out the window before answering, "Nathan Scott Is not the only person the police are looking for."

"Who?" Haley's eyes watered, "Who is putting us in danger?"

"Dan Scott." He stated simply, "We have information that he is carrying a weapon and has already shot at some people."

"There are many safe houses around town." The second officer cut in, "Though he is targeting most of you, he is still shooting at anyone nearby."

"So…" Lucas shook his head, "You're wasting your time trying to find a harmless 17 year old, as Dan's shooting up the whole town?"

"We are trying to find Nathan so we can protect him from his father."

"Oh my god." Lucas stopped from speaking when he heard the desperation in Peyton's voice, her eyes beginning to water.

Brooke put her arm around her friend, "What's wrong?"

"I was there," Peyton stated angrily, "I was at Nathan's house during the shooting."

"What?" Karen's face showed shock, the only emotion other than depression she had shown for awhile. "What did you see?"

Peyton's tears fell harder, "It was…horrible."

"Nathan didn't kill Keith." Haley stated, her mind made up.

Peyton shook her head, "No, He was unconscious…then Keith came in…and the guy shot himself.."

Lucas grabbed her by the shoulders, "If it wasn't Nathan, and It wasn't the shooter, then who was it?"

"It was Dan."

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"I think they're gone, Nate." She told him, waiting for her son to come out of hiding.

"Thanks mom." His voice sounded weird because of his cold, "I'll be gone soon, I just need to hide out a little bit."

She hugged him tightly, "Stay as long as you want, sweetie."

"Thanks mom. I'm kinda sick, is it alright if I have a shower?"

"Go ahead."

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"What we're doing right now is trying to get Nathan and his mother to safety." The police officer told Haley, "They are the most in danger."

"Is Nathan okay?" She asked him desperately.

He shook his head, "I don't know, but something tells me he's okay."

Lucas shook his head at the comment. He didn't want to alarm Haley, but Lucas had a feeling Nathan wouldn't be okay for long. Nathan was stupid when it came to his dad, he did dangerous things. He was sure today was no different.

"_You're my older brother, Luke. I understand you want to protect me, but I care about you too much to get you involved."_

Lucas sighed sadly at his brother's words. Nathan had said in the hospital that he needed Lucas's help, but Lucas was starting to think that had just been a story. A lie to get Lucas to leave him alone so he could…so he could…he couldn't finish that sentence.

What was Nathan going to do?

"Lost him? How?" The officer spoke into the radio.

The response came immediately, _"He's fast! And it's like he knew how to get rid of us."_

"What about Dan?"

"_No sign of him yet, we're still looking for both of them. We think the mom is at her house, Nathan might be there."_

"Find him. You know Dan won't stop until he gets him."

The officer stopped when the phone rang. The officer picked it up, putting it on speaker and immediately starting to track it/ record it.

"Hello, Haley." Haley shuddered as she heard his voice, "It's me, Dan. I know your there."

"What do you want, Dan?" She asked, sounding strong.

"I just want you to know the reason for all of this. It's all your fault." He stated, "If you never threatened me with that video tape I would never have done anything."

"Where's Nathan?"

He laughed a sinister laugh, "He's with his mommy. But not for long."

There was a pause.

"Have fun being alone, Haley."

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Nathan pulled the backpack over his shoulder and coughed. The shower had helped, and he wanted to sleep, but he needed to leave. He had seen the news, about his father shooting at everyone in town. Nathan knew he'd been saying this for awhile, but it was now or never. It was going to happen.

Dan Scott was going to be stopped.

Nathan coughed again as he came into the kitchen, his mom standing on the other side of the counter.

"Leaving already?" She asked, "Stay awhile."

He shook his head, "No, mom. I can do this on my own."

She sighed, coming around the counter and hugging him, "Don't be stupid."

"I'll be careful." It was a lie.

"Here." She handed him a plastic container, making him confused. "If you're going to go on the run, you need food."

"A peanut butter sandwich?"

She kissed his cheek, "I sealed it in a air packed container. It keeps the freshness in and the water out."

Nathan smiled at her, she was still thinking of him, even though she was in danger.

"Find the safe house," He told her, "Tell Haley I love her."

"You can tell her yourself, when you come back safe."

He turned to leave, looking back over his shoulder one last time. He felt like this was the last time he would see her, and he wished there was another way. But this was the best for everyone, especially Haley. Even though the last time he saw her, she slapped him, he knew she loved him.

"Goodbye."

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That's right, Dan and Nathan are going to face off soon. After 13 chapters of Dan torturing his son and his friends, Nathan is finally going to fight back. Please review, and read on!!


	14. 14: Over

Haley's eyes opened slowly as the morning sun came in through the window. She stretched, noticing that she was on her bed with someone lying beside her. Haley smiled widely, it was all just a dream. Nathan was okay.

"Nathan…" Haley turned over to look at her husband, but stopped short when she saw who it was. It was Brooke, with peyton sleeping beside her.

Haley sat up, looking around. Brooke and Peyton weren't the only ones sleeping at her house. As she slid out of bed, she noticed Lucas sleeping on the ground at the bottom of the bed. She walked into the hallway, seeing Karen sleeping on the couch and Deb sleeping on one of the chairs. She slowly walked down the hall and went into the bathroom.

"Just have a nice shower…" She told herself, trying to calm herself down.

Haley pulled the shower curtain out of the way and covered her mouth to keep from screaming. She giggled now as she just stared at the body lying in her bathtub, snoring.

"Tim, you're so weird," She whispered to the sleeping boy, "I guess no shower."

She walked back out into the living room, noticing Skillz and Mouth sleeping near the tv. She smiled at this. Having so many people crowding her house would be comforting if Nathan was safe with her. But he was gone, and she didn't know where.

Was he even alive?

She shook her head, shaking the thought. Nathan was alive, and she needed to stop being a baby about it.

"_He took his mom's car and drove off." _The radio crackled.

The officer answered quickly, "Do you think he left town?"

"_No, he would never leave his wife. I think he's going after Dan."_

"What? We need to stop him!"

"_We're still trying to locate him."_

The officer growled, "Why the hell can't we find a damn teenager?!"

"…_Ummm…"_

"Just find him."

The conversation ended there, then the officer turned to Haley.

"Good Morning." He greeted her, as if the conversation with the radio hadn't happened, "How was your sleep?"

Haley gave him a weird look, and then one to his sleeping partner beside him, "Where's Nathan?"

"They don't know."

"But I though you could-"

The radio cuyt her off, _"We found Dan! We're in pursuit!"_

"Where is he?"

There was a pause on the other end, _"Watch out!"_

Immediately, the window smashed. Haley screamed when the officer fell down to the ground, bleeding. His partner woke up instantly, getting his gun out. He pointed it out the smashed window.

"Where is he?" He asked Haley.

Haley shook her head, "…I don't know." She peeked out the window, "I don't see him."

Another shot was heard and the second officer fell over bleeding. The door swung open violently, making Haley jump up to her feet. Everyone was awake by now, watching, just watching. Not doing anything, what _could_ they do?

"Hello, Haley." He greeted angrily.

Haley felt her heart beating out of her chest as Dan began to lift the gun. But something happened that gave her hope, but made her heart beat faster than before. She heard a familiar voice behind Dan.

"Drop it, Asshole."

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Nathan gulped loudly as he held the gun up to the back of his father's head.

"Drop the gun, asshole." He warned, every ounce of anger in him showing in his words.

"Or what? You're going to-"

"Shut up!" He cut his father off, he was done with his games, "Turn around."

"Do you really think-"

"TURN THE _HELL_ AROUND!!" He screamed.

Dan turned around immediately, putting his hands in the air. He was surprised by his son's behavior, holding a gun to his own father's forehead.

"Drop the gun."

Dan looked at the gun in his hand, "No."

"DROP THE _DAMN_ GUN!!!" Nathan spat, his anger higher than it had ever been before.

Dan smiled, obviously planning something to say to mess with Nathan's mind, "What happens after I drop the gun?"

"I hold this gun to your head."

"And?"

"Wait."

Dan laughed, "For what, Nathan? For help?"

"For the police to come and arrest your lying, deceiving ass."

Dan took a step towards Nathan, "You know you can't hold me, I'm too strong."

Nathan took a long inhale, trying to calm himself and his heart. It was beating in his ears so loudly he could barely hear anything. He could hear Haley, though, telling him to just let him go, to let the police catch him.

But Nathan ignored her, along with everyone else in the house who were trying to give him advice.

"I'll shoot you if you try." Nathan warned, his voice like acid.

"Your going to shoot me?" Dan asked, taking another step toward Nathan, who put his finger on the trigger to shoot.

"Yes."

"Just like I shot your uncle Keith?"

Nathan made a mistake at that moment, a mistake he should never have made.

"You'll be _just like me_."

Nathan wavered for a moment, just a split second, he had been unsure of himself. Dan had noticed it, and took advantage of the situation. Knowing Nathan wasn't very aware, Dan smacked the gun out of his son's hand and tackled him onto the grass.

"Nathan!" Lucas called as he ran forward to help his little brother.

Dan turned around and pointed his gun at the people trying to get through the doorway, "Get back inside, don't even think of coming out. If you do, I'll shoot all of you, _and_ Nathan."

Haley grabbed Lucas's arm and pulled him back, "Don't risk it, Luke."

"I have to do something, he could _kill_ Nathan." Lucas fought back.

"Just let Nathan do it."

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Nathan was being crushed by his father's weight on top of him. He tried to wriggle away from Dan, out of his grasp, but Dan's hold was killer. Maybe it was because he _was_ a killer.

If force wouldn't work, Nathan had to use words.

"Dad, please don't do this." Nathan begged, revealing his weaknesses.

"Don't try and play the innocent card on me."

Nathan shook his head, "I'm your son. Why would you want to kill me?"

"I don't want to kill you, Nate." He said, some sadness in his tone, "I want to help you."

"Then help me, Dad. Let me go."

Dan loosened his grip on his son, sadness in his eyes.

Nathan continued, "What your doing is just hurting me. You _killed_ Keith, my uncle. And now your trying to kill my friends…and even kill me."

"I just want to help."

"How?" Nathan asked sadly, trying to still sound strong, even though his emotions were going crazy, "How is this helping me? If you really love me, you'll stop this."

Dan's face became angry again, "I'm not falling for this anymore!"

"Please," He breathed, running out of air.

"But…"

"Please, Dad." He begged again, grabbing the front of Dan's shirt, trying to pull him off of him. He was being crushed, the air in his lungs was running out fast.

He suddenly had air when Dan lifted off of him, defeat in his eyes.

Nathan sat on the ground, staring up at his dad, "You let me go?"

"I love you, Nathan." Dan stated, "I don't want to hurt you anymore."

Nathan stood up slowly, staring at his dad, not sure what to say.

"I'll never forgive you." He said angrily, "I will never forgive you for killing Keith."

He nodded, "I know."

Nathan stared as his father turned to leave, "Where are you going?"

Dan let out a final laugh, "I am _not_ going to jail."

Nathan just stared as his father started walking towards the empty road. It was over, it was finally over. He had stopped his dad, and all he needed to do was talk to him. He laughed at how silly he was, he was trying _way _too hard. After this whole time, _this_ is all it needed to be over.

But Nathan's smile disappeared as tires squealed down the road. He turned his head, seeing the car speeding down the road towards them.

"DAD!!" He sprinted towards Dan, he had to stop it, he couldn't let it happen.

But it was too late.

"DAD!!"

The car's brakes squealed as they tried to slow down a little. But there was chance it would miss. Nathan ran as fast as he could, time seeming to slow, but the hit was so fast, so sudden, Nathan had no clue it happened.

His dad was there, standing by his car, and then he was lying on the road, blood coming out of him.

"DAD!!" He ran towards his dad, trying to help. If Nathan had heard right, there was a first aid presentation sort of like this. He knew enough to know his dad was alive, he just needed to stop the bleeding.

But before Nathan could reach his dad, the driver came out quickly out of his car. Nathan's eyes widened as he recognized the man from the shooting at the school. Craig Jacobs. Craig smiled at Nathan and then grabbed Dan, pulling him into his trunk. Nathan got to the car just as the he slammed his door shut.

"STOP!!!" Nathan was smacking on the window as hard as he could, but Craig started to speed away. Nathan was running with the car, smacking on the window, "STOP!!!!"

The car went passed him, driving too fast for Nathan to catch up. He turned on his heels quickly, running back to get in his car.

Something stopped him when Haley grabbed his arm, "Nathan! Stop!"

He pulled his arm away, "I have to do something, Haley! He's my dad!"

"But…"

"Lucas!" Nathan called to his brother, "Come on, you drive!"

Lucas ran up to the car, getting in quickly. Nathan turned back to Haley sadly. Her face looked heartbroken and sad, and he couldn't stand seeing her like this.

"Haley," He whispered into her ear, "No matter what happens, the fight last night meant nothing."

"I'm sorry."

"I will always love you, I don't care how many times you slap me." He kissed her passionately, and she could have melted right into him. She could have stayed like this forever, but by the time she was starting to get into it, he pulled away.

"Goodbye, Haley."

Then he was getting in the car and driving away. He was out of sight in no time, and Haley immediately started to sob. Because Nathan hadn't said goodbye lik "see you later," he said goodbye like "I'm going to die."

"Goodbye, Nathan."

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Chapter 14 done!! Only, like one or two more chapters left, I'm not sure how many. Any way, keep reading!!


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